TEACHERS  EDiTiON 


•  »«• 


NOV  25  1907 


Division   BS2.4^C> 
Section    ,  ^-    ^  ^'^  ^ 


THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 


From  tlie  painting  by  J.  M.  H.  Hofmann 

THE    liOY    CHRIST 


TEACHERS  EDITION 

THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF 
CHRIST 


By      ,X 
WILLIAM    BYRON    FORBUSH 

Author  of  "The  Boy  Problem,"    "The  Travel 

Lessons  on  the  Life  of  Jesus," 

etc. 


WITH  EIGHT  HALF-TONE 
ILLUSTRATIONS 


SECOND  EDITION 


FUNK  a^  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 
19O8 


Copyright,  1905,  by 

FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

[Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America] 

First  Edition  published  December.  1905 


TO  MY  THREE  BOYS 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

A  Word  to  Boys 11 

A  Word  to  Older  People 13 

I.      A  Boy  from  Nowhere I'J' 

II.  School  Days  Long  Ago  and  Far  Away  31 

III.  A  Camping  Tour  in  the  Mountains ...  36 

IV.  Three  Days  at  College 44 

V.     The  Village  Carpenter 51 

VI.     A  Voice  from  the  Desert 61 

VII.     A  Battle  Royal 66 

VIII.     New  Comrades 74 

IX.     A  Wellside  Dialog 89 

X.     A  Summer  of  Sunshine 95 

XI.      A  Family  of  Brothers 113 

XII.     The  Martyred  Hero 133 

XIII.  Rejected 132 

XIV.  The  Men  He  Might  Have  Had 140 

XV.     The  King  Is  Seen  in  His  Glory 150 

XVI.     Nearing  the  Holy  City 162 

XVII.     The  Heirs  of  His  Kingdom. 179 

XVIII.     Three  Whom  Jesus  Loved 187 

XIX.      The  Triumphal  Procession 199 

XX.     In  the  Den  of  the  Wolves 207 

XXI.     A  Feast  for  Remembrance 217 

XXII.  What  Happened  in  the  Olive  Orchard  232 

XXIII.     The  King  Stands  Before  Kings 236 


viii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XXIV.     The  King  Dies  for  His  People 251 

XXV.     The  Morning  of  His  Kingdom 258 

Notes 267 

The    Leading   Events   in   the   Life   of 

Jesus 305 

Index 309 

Suggestions  for  Teachers. .  •  .following  Index 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The  Boy  Christ Frontispiece 

From  the  painting  by  J.  M.  H.  Hofmann 

The  Finding   of  the  Savior  in  the  Temple 

Opposite  page     50 
From  the  painting  by  Hohnan  Hunt 

The  Shadow  of  Death Opposite  page     58 

From  the  painting  by  Holman  Hunt 

Jesus  Cleansing  the  Temple Opposite  page     86 

From  the  drawing  by  J.  M.  H.  Hofmann 

Jesus  Healing  the  Sick Opposite  page  112 

From  the  painting  by  Albert  Zimmermann 

Christ  Washing  Peter's  Feet.  •  •  -Opposite  page  224 
From  the  painting  by  Ford  Madox  Brown 

Golgotha. Opposite  page  256 

From  the  painting  by  Jean-L6on  G^rome 

"If  Thou  Seek  Him  " Opposite  page  262 

From  the  painting  by  Ferdinand  Pauwels 

Map  of  the  Country  Where  Christ   Lived 

Opposite  page  267 


cannot  feel  ^im  as  a  ^atjior." 

Frederick  W.  Robertson 


A  WORD  TO   BOYS 

When  you  pick  up  this  book  your  first 
thought  may  be:  ''Oh,  I  know  all  this:  I 
have  been  taught  it  ever  since  I  was  a  child. ' ' 

But  stop!  Do  you  really  know  all  about 
Jesus  Christ*?  Do  you  know  what  he  did  when 
he  was  your  age  and  what  kind  of  home  he 
had?  Do  you  know  how  he  lived  when  he 
spent  all  his  time  out  of  doors  with  his  twelve 
friends,  what  were  his  habits  and  his  pleas- 
ures, and  what  was  the  plan  of  his  life  ?  You 
know  some  of  these  things  about  Napoleon 
and  Washington  and  Lincoln.  Do  you  know 
them  about  Jesus'? 

Then,  too,  while  you  have  heard  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  greatest  Figure  in  history,  do 
you  know  this  of  your  own  knowledge?  You 
have  read  of  heroes  in  Grecian  history,  in 
English  history,  in  the  history  of  our  own 
country.  Have  you  ever  thought  of  Jesus  as  a 
hero,— the  greatest  of  all  heroes?  Do  you 
know  just  why  He  was  a  hero? 

This  book  deals  simply  with  Jesus  as  the 
boy's  hero. 

If  you  like  the  story  of  Jesus'  life  as  told 
in  this  book,  you  will  surely  be  interested  in 
another  story  of  the  same  life.  It  was  written, 
nearly  2,000  years  ago,  by  one  who  had  it 
from  the  lips  of  one  of  Jesus '  closest  friends, 


12  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

the  Apostle  Peter.  The  author's  name  is 
John  Mark,  and  his  story  of  the  life  is  called 
' '  The  Gospel  according  to  Saint  Mark. ' '  Let 
me  suggest  that  you  do  something  that  proba- 
bly you  have  never  tried :  sit  down  and  read 
Saint  Mark's  story  of  the  life  of  Jesus.  It 
is  .not  very  long.  You  can  do  it  at  one  sitting 
in  less  than  an  hour.  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
repaid  by  it 


A  WORD  TO   OLDER  PEOPLE 

This  book  is  a  painting,  rather  than  a  pho- 
tograph. That  is,  it  has  both  background  and 
foreground.  What  is  left  in  the  background 
is  put  there  not  for  concealment,  but  only  so 
that  the  high  lights  may  seem  more  intense. 

There  are  many  things  therefore  which 
this  book  does  not  try  to  do.  It  does  not 
try  to  tell  everything  Jesus  said  and  did. 
It  does  not  touch  the  theology  or  the  phi- 
losophy of  Jesus'  life.  It  does  endeavor 
to  show  the  manly,  heroic,  chivalric,  in- 
tensely real  and  vigorously  active  qualities 
of  Jesus  in  a  way  to  appeal  to  boys.  This  is 
why  it  begins  with  the  boyhood  rather  than 
with  the  babyhood  of  Jesus.  Boys  do  not  care 
for  his  teachings  in  detail.  Of  all  their  heroes 
they  ask:  ''What  did  he  dof^^  The  miracu- 
lous is  not  emphasized,  because  it  is  more 
helpful  to  boys  to  think  how  much  Jesus  re- 
sembles themselves  than  how  much  he  differs 
from  them.  Even  with  these  limitations,  I 
hope  that  this  portrait  is  not  without  its  halo. 
The  purpose  has  been  to  make  the  readers 
see  not  only  *'the  highest,  holiest  manhood,'* 
but  also  the  "strong  Son  of  God,  immortal 
Love. ' ' 

The  book  was  not  easy  to  write.  There  was 
little  opportunity  for  the  element  of  surprise. 
The  time  and  place  are  so  far  away  that  it 


14  THE  BOYS'  LIFE   OF  CHRIST 

was  hard  to  make  the  book  real  and  readable. 
It  has  not  seemed  best  to  introduce  to  any  ex- 
tent the  element  of  fiction.  The  treatment 
of  some  of  the  events  is  imaginative,  though 
founded  on  careful  Oriental  study,  and  re- 
marks are  introduced  in  the  dialog  of  the  peo- 
ple surrounding  Jesus,  which  were  the  sub- 
stance of  the  talk  of  the  time.  This  is  a  harm- 
less literary  device.  The  words  attributed  to 
Jesus,  however,  are  in  almost  every  case  those 
that  have  been  recorded"  in  the  Gospels.  And 
every  act  of  Jesus  is  one  related  in  the  New 
Testament,  except  that  in  the  opening  chap- 
ters the  silence  of  the  Gospels  upon  his  boy- 
hood is  supplemented  by  a  description  of  the 
childhood  life  of  the  time  from  the  most  trust- 
worthy sources.  In  this  Jesus  appears,  I 
trust,  in  a  character  harmonious  with  our 
later  knowledge  of  him.  The  pretty  little  in- 
cident at  the  close  of  the  first  chapter  is  from 
the  Arabic  Gospel  of  the  Infancy.  Altho  not 
every  event  of  Jesus'  life  is  mentioned,  there 
is  an  endeavor  to  show  its  plan  and  order,  a 
knowledge  of  which  many  of  our  children, 
with  all  our  Sunday-school  teaching,  never 
attain.  There  is  also  a  careful  attempt  to 
show,  as  far  as  my  readers  would  care  to 
know,  how  Jesus  developed  from  boyhood  to 
manliood. 

The  book  is  designed  for  home  reading  by 
boys  who  are  old  enough  to  be  thoughtful  and 
intelligent.    If  Doctor  Hale  is  right  in  saying 


A  WORD   TO   OLDER  PEOPLE  16 

that  all  girls  like  boys'  books,  while  no  boys 
like  girls '  books,  this  boys '  book  will,  perhaps, 
prove  as  interesting  to  girls  as  to  boys.  I 
have  also  thought  it  might  be  used  for  sup- 
plementary reading  in  the  Sunday-school  and 
young  people's  society. 

For  the  latter  purpose  it  may  be  accom- 
panied by  my  '^Travel  Lessons  on  the  Life 
of  Jesus."  With  this  use  in  mind,  the  book 
is  furnished  with  notes,*  describing  the  scenes 
of  the  life  of  Jesus  as  they  appear  to-day  and 
as  they  are  illustrated  in  the  ''Travel  Les- 
sons." 

While  the  reading  of  many  books  has  con- 
tributed to  the  preparation  of  this  one,  it  has 
not  seemed  wise  in  a  story-book  to  burden  the 
pages  with  footnote  acknowledgments.  The 
author  has  been  especially  indebted  in  the  gen- 
eral plan  to  Burton  and  Mathews,  Stevens  and 
Burton,  Stalker  and  Sanday,  and  in  interpre- 
tation and  picturesqueness  of  detail,  in  various 
measure,  to  Dawson,  Brough,  Bosworth,  Fair- 
bairn,  R^nan,  Farrar,  and  Edersheim.  "The 
Twentieth  CenturyNew  Testament  "and  "The 
New  Testament  in  Braid  Scots,"  by  Wm.  Wye 
Smith,  have  been  found  helpful  in  attempts  to 
state  the  thought  of  Jesus  in  modern  English. 

Wm.  Byron  Foebush. 

The  Madison  Avenue  Reformed  Church, 

New  York, 

*  See  Note  1. 


THE    BOYS'    LIFE    OF    CHRIST 

I 
A  BOY   FROM  NOWHERE 

''Let's  play  'Wedding'!  " 

"Oh,  no." 

"We'll  be  the  pipers." 

' '  No,  we  don 't  want  to  dance. ' ' 

"Well,  then,  let's  play  'Funeral,'  and  you 
may  be  the  chief  mourners. ' ' 

"We  won't  do  it." 

It  was  a  group  of  boys  and  girls,  barefoot- 
ed, but  dressed  in  bright  colors. 

They  lived  in  a  far  Eastern  land. 

They  were  standing  about  idly,  near  the 
fountain,  in  the  small  square  of  a  lonely  little 
mountain  village.* 

It  was  a  holiday.  The  springtime  sun  was 
shining  brightly.  The  square  was  a  lively 
scene.  Women  in  colored  gowns,  with  jing- 
ling strings  of  coins  around  their  foreheads 
and  cheeks,  were  carrying  their  water- jars  to 
the  fountain.  They  were  jostled  by  long- 
legged  street  dogs  and  by  donkeys  loaded  with 
huge  grain  bags  that  hung  across  their  backs. 
Men  were  chaffering  loudly  near  by  in  the 
cattle  market. 

The  day  was  before  the  children,  but,  altho 

*See  Note  5. 


18  THE   BOYS'   LIFE   OF   CHRIST 

weddings  and  funerals  were  about  all  the 
events  that  ever  varied  the  life  of  their  quiet 
town,  this  hot  morning  they  all  seemed  to  feel 
too  lazy  or  too  cross  to  begin  to  play. 

Just  then  the  children  heard  a  clear  boyish 
soprano  in  the  distance,  and  all  turned  eagerly 
in  that  direction.  A  slender  but  sturdy  lad 
of  about  twelve,  coming  down  the  hill,  walked 
singing  around  the  corner.  He  was  dressed 
in  a  long,  close-fitting,  striped  blouse  of  brown 
and  white,  and  he  carried  an  empty  water- jar 
on  top  of  his  white  turban,  beneath  which 
tossed  his  curly  locks.  Flashing  dark  were 
his  eyes.    His  smile  was  ever  ready. 

As  he  bent  over  to  fill  his  jar  at  the  wide 
fountain  that  gushed  out  of  the  hill,  he  called 
to  one  of  the  lads,  and  asked  him  why  they 
were  not  playing. 

''The  boys  are  too  disagreeable,"  broke  in 
a  black-eyed  girl  before  the  one  addressed  had 
time  to  answer. 

*  *  Are  the  groomsmen  still  in  mourning  now 
that  their  bridegroom  is  with  them?"  laughed 
the  boy  at  the  well.  For  he  was  recognized 
as  the  leader  of  their  play. 

Then  lifting  the  full  jar  easily  to  the  top 
of  his  head,  he  called  out,  ''Come  with  me." 

They  followed  his  vigorous  steps  in  a  chat- 
tering line  up  the  narrow  street  to  his  small 
white-walled  home,  where  he  left  the  water- 
jar  inside  the  door  in  the  shade,  dropping  a 
green  branch  in  it  to  keep  it  cool. 


A   BOY  FROM  NOWHERE  19 

Doves  were  cooing  in  the  eaves  and  chickens 
were  feeding  in  front  of  the  house.  The 
father,  a  bearded  man,  stood  in  the  doorway 
planing  an  ox-yoke,  and  the  mother  sat  in  the 
shaded  porch  holding  a  baby  in  her  arms  and 
watching  another  little  boy  who  was  playing 
with  his  oldest  brother's  pet  lamb.  She  was 
singing  softly  to  the  baby  as  he  frolicked  upon 
her  knee. 

When  he  told  his  mother  where  he  was  go- 
ing, she  addressed  him  as  *^ Joshua."  The 
name  was  a  heroic  one,  for  it  had  been  borne 
by  the  great  commander  who  had  led  his  fore- 
fathers out  of  the  desert  and  by  the  priest 
who  had  been  their  champion  when  they  re- 
turned from  exile.  In  the  Latin  language  the 
name  is,  Jesus. 

**  Where  are  we  going  1"  asked  the  last  of 
the  flying  troop  as  they  started  in  another 
direction  down  the  hill  once  more. 

"To  the  threshing  floor,  of  course,"  shout- 
ed back  the  leaders. 

It  was  a  flat,  open  space  beside  a  dry  creek- 
bed,  pounded  hard  so  the  grain  would  not  be 
trampled  into  it.  In  the  summer  the  goats 
were  driven  around  it  to  beat  the  grain  from 
the  husks  with  their  hoofs.  But  the  rest  of 
the  year  it  was  the  children's  playground. 

First,  they  played  ** Wedding."  This  was 
the  girls'  favorite.  The  boy  of  the  water-jar 
gaily  took  his  place  as  the  bridegroom,  and 
taking  out  his  flute,  led  off  a  jolly,  prancing 


90  THE  BOYS'  LIFE   OF  CHRIST 

procession  consisting  of  the  other  boys,  who 
represented  the  groomsmen  or  ''the  sons  of 
the  bride-chamber."  In  another  place  the 
girls  gathered  around  the  one  they  had 
chosen  as  bride  and  carried  make-believe 
torches,  waved  myrtle  boughs  over  her  head, 
and  noisily  pretended  to  beat  drums  and  play 
on  pipes.  Advancing,  with  singing  and  danc- 
ing, the  bridesmaids  escorted  the  bride  to  her 
future  home. 

This  did  not  give  exercise  enough  to  suit 
the  boys,  and  soon  they  insisted  on  playing 
* '  Funeral. ' '  Marching  more  slowly,  boys  and 
girls  together,  they  crooned  a  dirge,  they 
howled  and  beat  their  breasts,  as  they  had 
seen  their  elders  do,  for  an  Eastern  funeral 
is  very  noisy.  And  some  of  the  boys  rolled 
on  the  ground  and  threw  dust  over  their 
heads,  as  the  rest  climbed  up  toward  the  old 
tombs  in  the  crags  near  the  hilltop. 

When  they  had  come  to  the  summit,  nearly 
breathless,  they  found  sitting  there,  clothed 
in  his  loose  brown  robe  and  leaning  upon  his 
staff,  the  old  minister  of  the  village.  He  was 
also  their  school-teacher,  and  they  all  loved 
him. 

Jesus  and  the  others  saluted  him  respect- 
fully and  sat  down  beside  him. 

Pretty  soon  the  youngest  said  boldly, ' '  Tell 
us  a  story.  Father  Jacob. ' ' 

**A  true  story,  if  you  please,"  said  a  boy 
named  Hosea. 


A  BOY  FROM  NOWHERE  21 

So  they  gathered  around  the  old  man  on 
the  hillcrest,  while  the  sheep  grazed  around 
them,  and  occasionally  a  gray  eagle  floated 
with  stately  sweep  above  their  heads. 

From  the  spot  where  they  were  sitting  one 
could  see  a  glorious  prospect.*  Down  below, 
the  little  village  was  perched  on  the  edge  of 
the  eastward  hillslope  like  a  great  white 
wasp 's  nest.  Its  flat  roofs  lay  among  terraced 
gardens  full  of  dark,  wide-branched  fig  trees, 
gray  olives  and  feathery  palms.  But  beyond, 
on  every  side  but  one,  was  a  sea  of  moun- 
tains. Only  one  town  could  be  seen,  a  city 
on  a  hilltop,  far  to  the  northwest. 

It  would  be  worth  while  for  you  to  turn  to 
the  map  in  the  back  of  the  book  and  pick  out 
some  of  the  famous  places  that  would  be  seen 
from  this  town  where  our  hero  was  brought 
up. 

The  white-bearded  story-teller  stood  up, 
and  with  a  smile  pointed  his  staff  inquiringly 
northward.  Beyond  a  mountainous  plateau 
they  could  see  the  snowy  shoulder  of  Mount 
Hermon,  the  highest  peak  and  the  northern 
boundary  of  their  native  land.  At  its  foot 
was  the  summer  palace  of  their  foreign  mon- 
arch. 

But  nobody  wanted  to  hear  about  Mount 
Hermon. 

He  pointed  to  the  east.  In  the  break  of  the 
eastern  hills  they  could  see  the  chasm  in 

*  See  Note  4. 


22  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

which  flowed  a  river,  and  far  beyond  it  the 
steep  dark  walls  of  a  noble  tableland. 

''Oh,  tell  us  about  the  mountains  of  Gil- 
ead!"  shouted  one  of  the  boys.  ''Tell  us  of 
Jephthah  the  great  hunter." 

"No,"  said  one  of  the  girls,  "it  is  too  sad. 
My  mother  told  me  about  the  death  of  his 
little  daughter  and  it  made  me  cry. ' ' 

"Then  tell  about  Gideon's  victory,  and  how 
he  chased  our  country's  enemies  over  there 
across  the  Jordan  into  the  underwoods,  and 
then  whipped  the  cowards  of  Succoth  with 
their  own  briar  bushes. ' ' 

But  not  all  could  agree  to  hear  even  this 
merry  story,  so  he  turned  about  and  pointed 
westward. 

They  saw  a  range  of  low  hills  and  beyond 
them  a  long,  purple  mountain,  and  still  be- 
yond that  the  blue  sea. 

' '  Let  us  hear  about  the  desert  prophet,  and 
of  how  he  conquered  the  priests  of  Baal  with 
the  lightnings, ' '  cried  another  boy. 

"Yes,  tell  us  of  Elijah,"  said  a  third  eager- 
ly. But  no,  the  rest  had  often  heard  the  well- 
known  story  of  Elijah's  testing  of  the  gods 
of  evil  Queen  Jezebel. 

And  so  he  pointed  to  the  south.  There  the 
hills  drop  down  to  a  long,  wine-colored  plain, 
a  great  triangle  of  waving  grain  and  grass, 
one  of  the  most  spacious  and  historic  valleys 
in  the  world.  The  story-teller's  eyes  flashed 
as  he  looked. 


A  BOY  FROM  NOWHERE  23 

Instantly  all  rose  and  shouted  and  clapped 
tkeir  hands. 

*' Yes !  Yes !  tell  us  of  Jezreel !  Tell  us  of 
our  country's  battle-ground!" 

And  so  the  children  gathered  around  him 
and  he  told  them  splendid  stories  of  their  na- 
tion's history,  pointing  as  he  talked  toward 
one  hilltop  or  another,  for  every  one  of  those 
memorable  places  could  be  picked  out  from 
where  they  were  sitting.  Yonder,  southeast, 
behind  Mount  Gilboa,  he  made  them  seem  to 
see  intrepid  Gideon  testing  the  courage  of 
his  volunteers  at  the  water  springs,  and  then, 
the  next  night,  executing  that  skilful  strategy 
by  which  he  routed  an  enormous  army  with 
no  weapons  but  lamps  and  water  pitchers. 
Across  this  very  valley  below  drove  famous 
King  Jehu  to  kill  wretched  Jezebel,  the 
enemy  of  his  people.  Yonder,  too,  died  the 
boy-king  Josiah  in  a  daring  but  vain  endeavor 
to  stem  the  power  of  Egypt,  the  mightiest 
monarchy  in  the  world. 

''Do  you  see  yonder  roadway?"  he  inter- 
rupted. 

And  now  the  children  watched  eagerly  as 
he  traced  through  the  grain  fields  the  royal 
highway,  down  which  they  could  even  now 
dimly  see  camel  trains  moving.  It  is  the  old- 
est road  in  the  world,  the  bridge  between 
Asia  and  Africa. 

He  told  them  how,  many  hundred  years  be- 
fore, a  warrior  named  Sisera,  with  his  fierce 


24  THE  BOYS'  LIFE   OF   CHRIST 

army  in  iron  chariots,  had  come  marching 
toward  their  home,  along  this  very  road,  from 
yonder  distant  pass  in  the  mountains  at  the 
south.  Then  he  pointed  southeastward  to  the 
round  dome  of  Tabor,  where  a  brave  woman, 
a  mother  in  Israel,  with  a  young  man,  hardly 
more  than  a  boy,  to  help  her,  had  gathered 
Israel's  untrained  but  eager  minutemen  to 
the  defense  of  their  country.  Into  that  field 
of  blood  rushed  down  this  little  band  of  gal- 
lant patriots.  Then  the  skies  suddenly  dark- 
ened, the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  the  plain  be- 
came a  sea  of  mud  and  the  chariot  wheels  of 
the  enemy  could  not  move.  With  desperate 
courage  Israel's  heroes  fought  among  the 
horses  and  war  cars  against  tremendous  odds, 
and  won.  Back  along  that  rain-drenched 
road  the  enemy  fled  on  foot.  Many  were 
swept  away  in  yonder  flooded  stream,  be- 
neath the  site  of  Elijah's  altar.  But  Sisera, 
their  chief,  pressed  doggedly  eastward. 

*'Is  there  any  morel"  some  one  asked 
breathlessly. 

The  children  turned  their  faces  again  to- 
ward the  Jordan,  and  the  speaker 's  voice  fell 
as  he  related  the  dread  tragedy  of  the  victory. 
He  told  how  the  wife  of  Heber,  of  the  kins- 
men of  the  Hebrews,  received  the  spent  war- 
rior kindly  into  her  tent.  Then  he  recited 
the  old  war-song  of  Deborah  and  Barak.  It 
told  how  when  he  was  drowsy,  because  of  her 
love  for  downtrodden  Israel. 


A  BOY  FROM  NOWHERE  25 

**She  brought  him  butter  in  a  lordly  dish, 
She  put  her  hand  to  the  nail, 
And  her  right  hand  to  the  workman's  ham- 
mer. 
Yea,  she  pierced  and  struck  through  his  tem- 
ples. 
At  her  feet  he  bowed,  he  fell,  he  lay ; 
At  her  feet  he  fell : 
Where  he  bowed,  there  he  fell  down  dead. ' ' 

He  chanted  the  dirge  by  Sisera's  mother 
and  then  sang  the  closing  words  of  triumph: 
''So  let  thine  enemies  perish,  0  Lord; 
But  let  them  that  love  him  be  as  the  sun  when 
he  goeth  forth  in  his  might. ' ' 

It  was  by  such  tales  as  these  that  the  school- 
masters of  Israel  caused  their  children  to  hate 
the  sins  that  since  those  brave  days  had  made 
their  nation  weak  and  the  enemies  who  had 
brought  them  low. 

Then  he  told  them  the  finest  story  of  all, 
of  the  great  shepherd-king  who  had  carried 
Israel  on  his  heart,  David,  once  the  boy  of 
Bethlehem  in  Judah.  Of  his  fight  with  the 
lion  and  the  bear  on  the  lonely  hilltops  of  his 
father's  pastures,  of  his  duel  with  the  giant 
Goliath,  and  of  his  perilous  life  with  King 
Saul,  the  sad,  wild  monarch  who  both  loved 
and  hated  him  so  well,  he  spoke.  "And 
who  ever  won  hearts  as  did  he  ?  The  mighty 
Three  who  broke  through  an  army  to  quench 
their  hero's  thirst,  the  fearless  Benaiah  who 


26  THE  BOYS'  LIFE   OF   CHRIST 

leapt  down  and  slew  a  lion  in  a  pit  on  a 
snowy  day,  and  prince  Jonathan— oh.!  the 
world  well  knows  how  their  souls  were  knit  to- 
gether. ' ' 

He  paused,  as  if  in  thought.  They  could 
scarce  wait  for  him  to  continue. 

Then  he  told  how  David  with  his  dauntless 
clan  subsisted  in  the  deserts  as  an  exile,  while 
the  prince  went  out  to  fight  by  his  father's 
side,  and  how  when  the  long  day  of  battle 
had  turned  against  them,  those  brave  heroes, 
noble  father  and  tender  son,  lay  down  to- 
gether in  death  on  yonder  summit. 

' '  There  it  stands ! ' '  the  old  man  exclaimed, 
as  he  pointed  beyond  rounded  Tabor  to  gray 
Gilboa  in  the  far  southeast. 

And  in  thrilling  tones  he  recited  the  famous 
"Song  of  the  Bow,"  which  David,  now  king 
of  all  Israel,  sang,  as  he  led  the  mourning 
nation  down  the  mountain. 

''Thy  glory,  0  Israel,  is  slain  upon  thy  high 

places. 
How  are  the  mighty  fallen ! 
Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant 

in  their  lives. 
And  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided. 

I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jona- 
than. 
Thy  love  to  me  was  wonderful, 
Passing  the  love  of  women.'* 


A  BOY  FROM  NOWHERE  27 

The  children  drew  a  long  breath  when  this 
story  was  done.  The  encircling  hills  seemed 
still  to  shelter  the  watching  spirits  of  these 
heroes  of  the  past.  One  of  the  lads,  stretch- 
ing himself  to  his  utmost  and  shaking  his 
right  arm  toward  that  funeral  mountain, 
shouted : 

**Hail  to  you,  mighty  kings  of  old,  and  hail 
to  you,  0  David,  great  Shepherd  of  Israel." 

Jesus  clasped  his  playmate's  hand  with  a 
look  of  delight  at  such  enthusiasm,  for  he  was 
himself  of  the  family  of  their  hero. 

As  the  children  went  down  the  hill  they 
spoke  with  gleeful  voices  of  those  great  days 
when  God  had  made  their  nation  so  famous 
through  the  deeds  of  its  noble  sons  and  daugh- 
ters. 

''And  he  will  do  it  again!"  said  one  of  the 
older  boys  stoutly.  ''He  will  do  it  again! 
What  does  the  prophet  say? 

"  'Behold,  a  king  shall  reign  in  righteous- 
ness   .    .    . 

And  a  man  shall  be  as  a  covert  from  the  tem- 
pest:   .    .    . 

As  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary 
land.'  " 

The  teacher  was  pleased  to  note  the  bright 
boy's  ready  memory. 
"When  will  our  king  come,  Father  Jacob?" 


28  THE   BOYS'   LIFE   OF   CHRIST 

asked  one  of  the  girls  wearily.  ''My  father 
says  it  has  been  very  long. ' ' 

"He  is  coming,  my  child,"  said  the  old  man, 
laying  his  hand  on  her  glossy  head.  "He  is 
coming.  Out  of  Bethlehem,  David's  city,  the 
prophet  has  said  our  Deliverer  shall  appear. ' ' 

Jesus  had  fallen  back  beside  the  rabbi. 

"How  shall  the  Messiah  be  known f"  he 
asked. 

"It  is  written  of  him,"  the  master  an- 
swered, "  'I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  God.'  " 

The  boy  walked  on  a  moment  in  silence, 
then  as  they  came  to  a  steep  place,  he  gave 
the  venerable  man  his  strong  shoulder  and 
helped  him  down  to  his  home. 

The  brows  of  the  little  patriots  had  dark- 
ened as  they  thought  of  their  long-suffering 
land  and  the  hated  yoke  of  the  proud  Romans. 
But,  when  they  reached  the  threshing-floor 
again  and  had  parted  from  the  good  rabbi 
with  hearty  farewells,  their  spirits  grew 
brighter  and  they  all  wanted  one  more  game 
before  dinner. 

"We'll  play  'Kingdom,'  "  cried  one. 
*  *  That  is  the  best  game  of  all. ' ' 

"Who  will  be  king?" 

"I!" 

"No,  I!" 

"And  I!" 

"No,  Jesus  shall  be  our  king,"  said  Jesus' 
chum,  the  boy  who  had  quoted  from  the  old 
prophet.     "He  is  the  strongest.     He  is  the 


A   BOY  FROM  NOWHERE  29 

one  who  leads  our  games  and  makes  peace 
when  we  quarrel.    Let  Jesus  be  our  king ! ' ' 

And,  with  one  accord,  before  he  had  a 
chance  to  protest,  they  had  seated  the  dark- 
eyed  lad  on  a  knoll,  and  were  crowning  him 
with  blossoms.  They  put  a  palm  branch  in 
his  hand  and  spread  their  cloaks  before  him, 
and  two  boys,  one  at  his  right  and  one  at  his 
left,  stationed  themselves  as  his  attendants, 
while  the  rest  stopped  the  good-natured  pass- 
ers-by, old  and  young,  and  merrily  forced 
them  to  approach,  saying,  ''Come  here  and 
adore  our  king,  and  afterward  go  on  your 
way  in  peace." 

And  then  they  all  went  home,  tired,  to  their 
dinners. 

In  a  few  moments  Jesus  had  reached  his 
father's  door.  It  was  open  toward  the  east. 
The  family  were  just  sitting  down  on  the  floor 
around  the  low  stand  which  they  used  as  their 
table.  As  soon  as  the  chattering  little  ones 
were  still,  Jesus,  as  the  oldest  son,  stood  and 
asked  the  blessing.  He  sat  by  his  mother's 
side  and  told  all  the  adventures  of  the  merry 
morning.  His  mother,  whose  name  was  Mary, 
was  especially  pleased  when  he  described  how 
the  boys  had  crowned  him  king. 

After  Jesus  had  helped  his  mother  with  her 
work  the  family  rested  for  an  hour  or  two 
through  the  hot  midday.  Then  the  boy 
walked  out  to  the  vineyards  with  his  chum 
and  talked  with   the  vine-dressers.     When 


30  THE   BOYS'   LIFE   OF   CHRIST 

night  came  he  saw  that  the  chickens  were  in 
their  shelter,  and  after  he  had  eaten  his  sup- 
per, he  fed  his  lamb.  Then  his  father  shut  the 
house  door  and  before  the  color  had  faded  out 
of  the  west  the  whole  family  was  asleep. 


n 

SCHOOL    DAYS    LONG    AGO    AND    FAR 
AWAY 

Would  you  like  to  take  a  look  into  Jesus* 
schoolhousef 

It  is  a  low,  square  stone  building  near  the 
village  fountain. 

Over  the  door  is  an  ornamental  carving  of 
a  bunch  of  grapes  or  a  pot  of  manna. 

Entering  beneath  a  gallery  in  the  rear  you 
find  yourself  facing  a  low  platform,  in  the 
center  of  which  is  a  curtained  chest. 

It  looks  like  a  country  church  in  New  Eng- 
land. 

It  is  a  church,  for  the  schools  of  these  days 
were  held  in  the  meeting-houses,  and,  as  I 
have  said,  the  ministers  were  the  school- 
teachers. 

If  you  should  look  inside,  though,  when 
school  was  in  session,  it  would  not  remind  you 
much  of  an  American  schoolhouse.  You  think 
of  a  group  of  boys  and  girls  seated  at  their 
desks,  studying  their  lessons  in  perfect  silence. 
But  in  Jesus*  village  you  would  know  as  soon 
as  you  were  anywhere  near  the  schoolhouse 
by  the  noise  that  came  from  it,  and  if  you 
looked  through  the  door  or  window  you  would 
see  all  the  scholars  seated  in  a  circle  on  the 


32  THE  BOYS'  LIFE   OF  CHRIST 

floor  around  their  teacher,  who  was  seated 
there,  too,  studying  their  lessons  at  the  top  of 
their  voices ! 

What  kind  of  text-books  did  they  have? 
Arithmetics  ?  Geographies  I  Spelling-books  ? 
Did  each  boy  carry  an  armful  of  books  as 
schoolboys  do  in  America*? 

There  was  but  one  text-book,  and  only  one 
copy  of  that.  It  was  a  queer-looking  volume, 
laid  when  not  in  use  behind  the  curtains  on 
yonder  platform.  Written  on  a  leather  roll 
from  right  to  left,  it  was  wound  around  two 
metal  staves  and  kept  in  a  silk  case. 

It  was  the  Old  Testament. 

Do  you  think  that  would  be  an  interesting 
school-book?  It  surely  was  to  Jesus.  The 
stories  of  his  country's  heroes,  the  history  of 
his  nation's  wars,  the  words  of  its  best  and 
greatest  men  are  all  found  in  its  pages.  It 
was  spelling-book,  reader,  geography,  history, 
language-lessons,  poetry,  lessons  in  behaviour 
—all  bound  in  one  volume. 

Jesus  began  to  study  it  when  he  was  a  child 
at  home.  Perhaps  his  mother  taught  him 
first  a  birthday-verse,  beginning  with  or  con- 
taining the  same  letters  as  his  name.  Then  he 
learned  a  few  of  the  shorter  psalms,  especially 
those  used  in  the  feast-day  processions. 

When  he  went  to  school  his  first  lessons 
were  in  the  book  of  Leviticus. 

Every  lesson  was  a  memory-lesson.  How 
patiently    the    old    teacher    drilled,    drilled, 


SCHOOL  DAYS  LONG  AGO  33 

drilled  his  scholars  day  after  day.  Those 
shrill  voices  uplifted  in  concert  were  reciting 
over  and  over,  first  the  olden  laws,  then  the 
stories,  and  finally  the  Prophets  and  the 
Psalms,  until  the  children  knew  by  heart,  so 
that  they  never  could  forget,  thousands  of 
verses  from  their  nation's  book. 

Not  until  Jesus  was  ten  or  twelve  did  he 
begin  to  be  taught  the  explanations  of  what 
he  had  learned.  Those  ancient  schoolmasters 
believed  in  rote  first,  then  reason. 

School  days  in  Galilee  were  not  tiresome. 
There  were  no  lessons  in  the  middle  of  the 
day  or  in  hot  weather.  About  one  day  in  four 
was  a  holiday,  and  children  did  not  go  to 
school  much  after  they  were  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  old. 

To-day  we  study  many  subjects  in  school; 
drawing  and  painting  and  cooking  and  car- 
pentering. In  these  days  the  homes  did  this 
part  of  the  school  teaching.  Every  boy,  no 
matter  how  wealthy  his  parents,  must  learn 
a  trade.  It  was  usually  taught  him  by  his 
father.  So  Jesus  learned  from  Joseph  hov 
to  handle  the  saw,  the  plane  and  the  mason's 
trowel,  while  his  little  sisters,  Salome  and 
Mary,  were  learning  from  their  mother  how 
to  sew  and  keep  house. 

If  the  school-teacher  taught  Jesus  to  recite 
the  psalms,  probably  it  was  his  mother  who 
taught  him  to  sing  them.     She  herself  had 


34  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

composed  songs,  one  of  which  is  still  sung 
to-day  in  all  our  churches. 

In  all  countries  those  who  become  great  owe 
a  great  debt  to  their  mothers.  This  was  espe- 
cially so  in  Israel.  Motherhood  was  the  best 
thing  Israel  had.  '*God  could  not  be  every- 
where," was  one  of  their  sayings,  ''and  so  h' 
made  mothers."  Jesus  owed  much  to  lii- 
mother.  She  taught  him  many  things  that  the 
village  master  did  not  know.  The  rabbi  knew 
what  Abraham  and  Moses  and  David  did. 
But  she  could  tell  her  boy  what  they  hoped 
and  felt  and  suffered.  The  rabbi  lived  in  the 
past,  but  she,  like  that  other  peasant  girl, 
Joan  of  Arc,  had  visions  of  the  future.  She 
did  not,  like  the  maid  of  Orleans,  expect  to 
wield  a  sword.  Her  weapon  for  victory  over 
wrong  was  her  boy. 

No  wonder  that  the  greatest  painters  have 
tried  to  portray  her  loving,  thoughtful  face. 
No  wonder  that  the  whole  world  honors  Mary, 
who  lived  only  that  she  might  give  the  world 
its  king. 

It  seems  as  if  all  Nazareth  were  a  school- 
house.  The  view  from  the  hilltop  was  a 
course  in  history.  The  birds  and  flowers,  the 
trees,  vineyards  and  meadows  taught  nature- 
study.  At  the  village  fountain  travelers 
brought  accounts  of  the  geography  of  other 
lands.  It  was  even  possible  to  learn  a  little 
of  their  strange  languages. 

Then  in  one  sense  all  the  grown  people  of 


SCHOOL  DAYS  LONG  AGO  35 

Nazareth  were  teachers.  -For  everybody  in 
those  days  took  the  deepest  interest  in  chil- 
dren. They  often  talked  with  them,  they  an- 
swered their  questions  and  they  taught  them 
all  sorts  of  wise  sayings.  In  every  village 
there  were  men  who  spent  much  of  their  time 
thus  conversing  with  young  people,  and  in 
one  of  the  common  sayings  of  the  day  chil- 
dren were  encouraged  to  learn  from  such 
men.  The  saying  was:  **Stay  close  by  the 
seller  of  perfumes  if  you  want  to  keep  fra- 
grant." 


Ill 

A  CAMPING  TOUR  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS 

On  the  night  of  the  holiday,  which  I  spoke 
of  in  the  first  chapter,  the  village  went  to  bed 
early,  for  the  next  day  was  to  be  a  notable  one. 

Before  the  sun  was  up  everybody  had  gath- 
ered at  the  fountain.  The  fathers  and  moth- 
ers and  the  older  children  were  going  to  leave 
for  a  ten  days'  tour.  They  were  going  to 
the  capital  for  the  great  annual  feast,  to  cele- 
brate the  nation's  birthday. 

Donkeys  were  being  loaded  by  the  men  with 
baggage,  the  mothers  were  saying  good-by  to 
their  little  children,  who  were  left  in  their 
grandparents '  charge,  and  the  children  whom 
we  met  yesterday  were  under  the  donkeys' 
feet  and  in  everybody's  way,  having  a  glad 
time  in  prospect  of  the  holiday.  For  a  town 
with  nobody  in  it  but  grandparents  and  chil- 
dren must  be  a  very  jolly  one. 

Soon  the  cavalcade  started,  the  old  rabbi 
and  the  chief  men  with  the  village  banner 
riding  ahead,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  boys, 
among  whom  was  Jesus.  The  rest  followed, 
all  except  the  women  on  foot. 

Jesus    parted    with    reluctance    from    his 


CAMPING  TOUR  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS      37 

younger  playmates  and  his  little  brothers  and 
sisters.  Even  when  the  pilgrims  could  be 
faintly  heard  by  the  villagers  left  behind, 
singing  their  marching  song  from  the  hilltop, 
he  was  seen  waving  his  hand  to  them  in  fare- 
well. But  then  his  eyes  turned  eagerly  to  the 
pathway  before  him. 

For  this  was  Jesus'  first  journey  from 
home.f 

The  procession  straggled  down  the  Naza- 
reth hills  to  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon.  As 
soon  as  it  entered  the  old  royal  road  it 
joined  a  great  throng  of  travelers,  some  their 
countrymen  living  in  foreign  lands,  others 
Romans,  Greeks,  and  even  Ethiopians,  com- 
ing for  trade  or  curiosity,  to  the  feast.  Here 
were  stately  camels  and  gray  mules  covered 
with  gay  saddle  cloths,  bearing  bales  of  silks 
and  clothing  and  bundles  of  spices  and  mer- 
chandise. And  as  they  traveled  slowly  on 
through  the  grain  fields,  dotted  with  wild 
flowers  of  blue  and  purple  and  scarlet,  they 
were  to  the  shepherd  boys  watching  their 
sheep  beside  the  placid  river,  and  to  the  farm- 
ers and  their  wives,  standing  knee  deep  in  the 
yellow  grain,  a  vision  of  wonder.  The  distant 
hills  had  a  delicate  veil  of  green  after  the 
recent  rains  and  the  air  was  sweet  with  the 
breath  of  wild  th^ine. 

They  crossed  the  Kishon  River,*  now  at  full 
springtime  flood.    Jesus  looked  with  interest 

t  See  Note  7.         *  See  Note  6. 


38  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

at  Shunem,  where  Elisha  gave  the  little  boy 
back  to  his  mother,  saw  the  weird  caves  of 
gloomy  Endor,  where  the  old  witch  used  to 
live,  and  gazed  in  silent  wonder  at  the  huge 
broken  sculptures  of  ruined  Jezreel,  Jezebel's 
old  summer  home.  Toward  night  they 
reached  a  sheltered  spot  between  grassy 
Mount  Carmel  and  barren  Gilboa,  where  the 
road  begins  to  climb  the  tableland,  which  was 
the  route  of  their  to-morrow's  journey.  A 
part  of  the  caravan  had  already  turned  away 
into  a  sandy  pass  through  Carmel  toward  the 
sea,  on  the  long  way  to  Egj^pt. 

Their  camping  spot  was  close  to  a  fountain 
and  near  a  cluster  of  gardens.  Jesus  helped 
his  father  fasten  their  beast  and  gathered 
sticks  for  a  fire,  so  that  his  mother  might  cook 
their  pottage.  After  supper  they  two  made  a 
couch  and  shelter  of  branches  for  the  mother, 
while  they  themselves  prepared  to  sleep  on 
the  ground  under  the  stars.  But  sleep  was 
not  to  be  thought  of  at  once.  In  the  distance 
they  could  hear  the  marching  songs  of  other 
pilgrims  who  were  approaching.  Near  by, 
a  great  camp-fire  was  a  center  of  attraction. 
Jesus  and  the  other  boys  were  soon  standing 
in  its  blaze.  Already  a  group  of  men  had 
gathered,  some  to  exchange  greetings  and 
news  with  new-found  friends,  some  to  tell 
stories,  and  some  to  argue  excitedly  and  end- 
lessly about  religion.  Above,  the  young  pas- 
chal moon  was  shining,  making  the  wooded 


CAMPING  TOUR  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS       39 

slopes  of  the  encircling  hills  as  distant  against 
the  sky  as  in  the  day.  Much  did  the  boys  hear 
that  evening,  and  these  three  full  days,  of  the 
strange  languages  and  ideas  of  other  lands 
and  still  more  of  the  glories  of  their  own. 

The  next  day  their  way  was  through  the 
highlands.  The  region  belonged  to  the  fa- 
natic Samaritans,  who  thrust  their  tongues 
out  at  them  in  hatred  as  they  passed.  Had  it 
not  been  the  feast  time  they  would  have 
taken  a  long  roundabout  course  to  avoid  the 
unpleasantness  and  danger  of  passing 
through  this  region.  But  perhaps  the  slight 
risk  added  a  delightful  element  of  excitement 
to  the  younger  pilgrims.  They  passed  in 
sight  of  the  well  where  Joseph  was  left  by 
his  envious  brothers,  and  told  each  other 
again  the  splendid  tale  of  the  trials  and  tri- 
umphs of  that  princely  youth,  and  soon  they 
came  to  the  city  of  Samaria,  which  was  the 
new  political  capital,  as  Jerusalem  was  the 
ancient  religious  capital,  of  the  nation. 

It  must  have  seemed  to  the  boys  almost  a 
fairy  town.  The  white  houses  in  their  green 
foliage  climbed  up  the  hill  to  the  king's  mar- 
ble palace  at  the  top,  and  from  its  walls  and 
gardens  one  could  look  northward  to  a  curve 
of  noble  forest-crowned  hills,  westward  to  the 
blue  sea,  and  southward  down  the  greenest 
valley  in  all  the  land.  They  hurried  down 
this  valley,  for  tho  it  was  a  beautiful,  it  was 
not  a  friendly,  city.    On  every  side  were  olive 


40  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

and  lemon  groves,  fragrant  as  spice,  and  the 
nightingales  were  already  beginning  to  sing 
in  the  branches. 

A  little  beyond  Shechem  they  found  their 
second  camping  place.  If  an  American  boy 
would  rejoice  to  retr averse  the  old  battle 
route  from  Boston  to  Concord  Bridge,  he  may 
imagine  how  this  lad  enjoyed  this  historic 
journey.  Turn  to  your  map  again  and  follow 
the  boys  of  Nazareth  as  they  climb  along  the 
backbone  of  Palestine. 

The  halt  was  made  in  a  narrow  valley  be- 
tween two  mountains. 

''This,"  said  Jesus'  father,  pointing  to  the 
bleak  northern  peak,  ''is  Ebal,  the  mount  of 
cursing. ' ' 

He  did  not  need  to  be  told  that  the  more 
fertile  cone  was  Gerizim,  the  mountain  of 
blessing,  or  that  it  was  on  these  two  hillslopes 
that  his  great  namesake,  Joshua,  had  gath- 
ered the  nation  in  two  bands  and  addressed 
them  after  the  conquest. 

Close  by  was  a  low,  whitewashed  tomb. 

Did  his  heart  not  throb  when  his  father  said 
reverently, 

"The  grave  of  Joseph." 

Here  lay  the  body  of  that  spotless  prince, 
Israel's  King  Arthur,  after  its  long  travels. 
The  whole  nation  had  escorted  it  to  its  rest. 

"This  spot  of  ground,"  the  speaker  con- 
tinued, "was  won  by  Jacob  with  his  sword." 
He  also  told  how  the  great  father  of  the  na- 


CAMPING  TOUR  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS       41 

tion,  Abraham  himself,  had  come  hither  with 
his  flocks  when  he  was  seeking  a  safe  home 
in  these  rocky  pastures. 

A  few  moments  later  Jesus  was  looking 
down  into  a  deep  well,  from  which  in  an  in- 
stant was  drawn  a  bucket  of  ice-cold  water. 
He  needed  no  one  to  tell  him  that  it  was  that 
oldest  of  memorials,  the  well  of  Jacob. 

One  more  night  was  spent  in  camp  after  a 
day  of  pleasant  travel,  enlivened  by  the  glad- 
some beat  of  drums  and  timbrels,  and  through 
places  equally  memorable  for  their  glorious 
names. 

By  this  time  the  children  had  learned  to 
guess  which  interesting  town  would  look  out 
from  the  next  hilltop,  and  merrily  they  an- 
swered to  one  another: 

''Bethel-" 

''Where  homesick  Jacob  fell  asleep  his  first 
night  away  from  home  on  the  stones  of  his 
grandfather's  altar." 

"Gibeah?" 

"No.     Eamah." 

"Where  Samuel,  the  king-maker  lived." 

"Here  is  Gibeah,  then." 

"Yes,  the  birthplace  of  King  Saul." 

This  country  was  not,  like  Samaria,  green 
and  watered  and  fertile,  but  it  was  gray,  stony 
and  bare.  It  looked  like  the  hills  of  New  Eng- 
land. Yet  it  was  more  dear,  for  the  highland- 
ers  of  Judea  had  always  been  the  nation's  de- 
fenders. 


43  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

The  next  morning  there  was  a  great  shak- 
ing and  smoothing  out  of  clothes  and  a  put- 
ting on  of  adornments,  because  by  noontime 
the  eighty-mile  journey  would  be  nearly  over, 
and  the  Hcly  City,  the  goal  of  their  pilgrim- 
age, would  be  in  sight.  The  travelers  this 
morning  began  to  sing : 

''I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me, 
Let  us  go  unto  the  House  of  the  Lord, ' ' 

and  other  ancient  songs  that  had  been  com- 
posed on  purpose  for  this  journey. 

Tho  long  awaited,  the  first  sight  of  the 
city*  was  unexpected.  They  climbed  a  hill- 
ock, and  lo!  it  was  all  spread  before  them. 
The  great  stone  castles  of  the  Romans  were 
on  the  right,  the  old  gray  wall  was  around 
it,  and  the  hills  were  its  guardians,  but  there 
at  the  left  before  them  was  the  Temple  Hill 
with  its  snowy  terraces  of  marble  and  its 
roofs  of  gleaming  gold!  A  burst  of  song 
arose  as  the  Holy  House  flashed  into  view. 
Then  the  whole  company  knelt  in  thanks- 
giving. 

Down  through  the  fig  and  olive  trees  they 
hastened,  past  the  villas  of  the  wealthy,  meet- 
ing now  a  band  of  iron-armored  Roman  le- 
gionaries, now  a  group  of  silken-gowned  doc- 
tors of  the  law,  until  they  entered  the  city 
gate. 

There  was  no  question  of  paying  for  enter- 

*  See  Note  8. 


CAMPING  TOUR  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS       43 

taimnent.  All  Jerusalem  was  keeping  open 
house.  But  the  city  was  already  crowded 
with  hundreds  of  thousands  of  people.  If 
there  was  a  curtain  hanging  over  any  en- 
trance it  meant,  "Still  there  is  room."  But 
if  there  was  no  room  left,  belated  travelers 
encamped  cheerfully  in  the  orchards  outside 
the  gates. 

Too  eager  to  rest,  too  grateful  to  sleep,  the 
pilgrims  from  Nazareth,  taking  a  hasty  meal 
and  greeting  many  of  their  distant  kinsmen, 
hurried  to  join  the  great  throng  in  the  tem- 
ple courts,  and  there  they  were  found  even 
until  midnight  waiting  in  the  moonlight  their 
turn  to  present  their  free-will  gifts. 


IV 
THREE   DAYS   AT   COLLEGE 

They  took  but  a  few  hours  of  sleep. 

It  was  the  edge  of  the  dawn.  Far  aloft  a 
silver  trumpet  blew  three  times,  and  ere  it 
ceased  the  priest  who  had  slept  all  night  at 
the  portal  beside  the  golden  keys  sprang  to 
his  feet,  kissed  the  master-key  and  swung 
open  the  massive  temple  doors. 

Before  daylight  the  other  priests  had  been 
awake  within,  and  had  inspected  the  dark  cor- 
ridors in  procession  by  torchlight.  The  fire 
was  rekindled  on  the  altars,  the  sacrifice  was 
laid  upon  the  coals,  and  when  the  worshipers 
began  to  crowd  in,  the  Holy  House  was  ready 
for  the  services  of  the  day. 

Jesus  stood,  in  the  early  morning  light,  with 
his  parents  in  the  Jewish  Court.  Proudly  he 
looked  outside  to  the  larger  courtyard  where 
foreigners  gathered  curiously  and  looked  up 
and  read  the  stone  tablet,  which  warned  them 
of  death  if  they  ventured  farther.  But  he 
was  one  of  "the  Chosen  People;"  ''the  Sons 
of  God,"  they  called  themselves.  And  so, 
when  the  strange  washings  and  bowings  and 
recitatives  went  on,  he  watched  eagerly,  for 


THREE  DAYS  AT  COLLEGE  45 

this  service  belonged  to  him;  when  the  odor 
of  incense  was  diffused  he  knelt  with  the  thou- 
sands ;  as  he  watched  it  overflow  the  curtains 
it  seemed  like  the  rising  prayers  of  his  nation ; 
and  as  the  officiating  priest,  with  tinkling  bells 
on  the  border  of  his  gown,  walked  here  and 
there  beyond  that  rainbow-colored  curtain, 
he  could  tell  by  the  music  at  what  part  of  the 
service  he  was  engaged. 

A  little  later  he  saw  a  company  of  priests 
coming  up  from  the  valley  beyond  the  walls 
waving  the  bundle  of  grain,  which  they  had 
cut  with  a  golden  sickle.  It  was  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  harvest.  And  he  saw  them  bring- 
ing the  golden  pitcher  of  water  from  the 
sacred  wells. 

Meantime,  back  in  the  home  village  of 
Jesus,  the  old  grandames  and  the  little  chil- 
dren were  searching  their  dark  houses  with 
candles  for  any  scraps  of  raised  bread,  and 
were  making  the  flat,  white,  tasteless  loaves 
which  were  the  only  bread  they  ate  during 
the  whole  feast. 

The  Passover  was  Israel's  New  Year's  Day, 
Fourth  of  July  and  Easter,  all  in  one.  But 
how  strangely  different  from  ours  were  their 
celebrations ! 

When  the  great  day  of  the  feast  came,  Jo- 
seph, the  father  of  the  family,  carried  up  the 
choice  yearling  lamb  which  he  had  brought 
for  the  sacrifice.    When  the  priest  had  slain 


46  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

it,  Mary  roasted  it  upon  a  cross  of  pome- 
granate wood. 

Away  from  the  crowd,  in  an  upper  room, 
Joseph  and  his  wife  and  their  boy  ate  the 
sacred  meal.  Every  part  of  it  was  a  story 
told  in  picture  and  action.  There  lay  the 
lamb  upon  the  board,  to  remind  them  that  re- 
demption always  is  at  the  cost  of  life.  Here 
were  the  bitter  herbs,  type  of  the  bitterness 
of  slavery,  and  a  paste  of  fruits,  emblem  of 
the  mortar  used  by  their  fathers  when  they 
were  forced  to  make  bricks  in  Egypt,  They 
ate  standing  and  in  haste,  as  if  just  fleeing 
from  bondage.  Solemn  thanksgivings  were 
offered  and  old  songs  were  sung. 

Then  came  the  child 's  hour.  In  every  home 
in  Israel  the  youngest  was  taught  to  ask  this 
question : 

* '  What  do  you  mean  by  this  service  I ' ' 

Jesus  asked  the  question. 

Then  Joseph  told  the  story  of  the  Exodus 
again. 

"Many  j^ears  ago  we  were  a  nation  of 
slaves.  God  stretched  out  his  hand  and  saved 
us  from  those  who  had  laid  tasks  upon  us, 
making  us  their  brickmakers  and  burden- 
bearers.  There  came  a  night  of  darkness  and 
death.  The  pestilence  was  on  the  whole  land, 
even  in  the  king's  palace.  Moses  told  us  to 
sprinkle  lamb's  blood  on  our  door-posts,  to 
bind  up  our  garments  and  to  prepare  for 
flight.    God  looked  through  the  darkness,  and 


THREE  DAYS  AT  COLLEGE  47 

where  the  blood  was,  there  he  passed  over  and 
left  men  alive.  He  led  us  out  through  the 
storm,  and  the  divided  seas,  and  the  next 
morning  we  were  free  upon  a  stranger's 
shore.  Since  that  day  we  have  always  kept 
the  saerifiee  with  a  slain  lamb,  and  we  call 
it  the  Passover. ' ' 

So,  by  action  and  story,  this  service,  cen- 
turies old,  was  meant  to  teach  the  children  of 
God's  salvation,  so  that  it  might  never  be  for- 
gotten. 

Go  into  any  Jewish  home  to-day  at  Pass- 
over, in  the  spring,  and  you  will  see  how  well 
they  remember.  You  will  find  the  family  con- 
ducting this  very  service  just  as  they  did  two 
or  three  thousand  years  ago.     * 

There  was  much  to  see  in  the  city  after  the 
feast  was  over,  and  among  the  busy  shops  en- 
croaching even  on  the  holy  shrine,  the  stalwart 
garrison  and  the  child  musicians  in  the  tem- 
ple, the  Nazareth  boys  roamed  together.  But 
Jesus  went  most  often  alone  to  the  broad  ter- 
race below  the  marble  house,  where  on  sunny 
feast-dayafternoons  the  teachers  of  the  sacred 
law  sat,  and  talked  genially  with  any,  even  lads 
like  himself,  who  might  care  to  meet  them. 
It  was  a  sort  of  people's  college.  They  were 
the  wisest,  and  some  of  them  were  the  best 
people  of  their  time:  Hillel  the  Great  and 
Hanan  and  Caiaphas  and  Nicodemus  and  Jo- 
seph of  Arimathea— some  of  whom  were  to 


48  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

kill  him  in  hate,  some  of  whom  were  to  bury 
him  with  generous  love. 

Every  boy  has  his  questions,  ''Who  am  I?" 
' '  What  am  I  good  f  or  r '  ' '  What  shall  I  live 
for!"  To  answer  such  questions  a  boy  needs 
help.    Jesus,  too,  felt  that  he  needed  help. 

He  talked  about  these  things  to  the  elders. 
They  were  amazed  at  the  quick  understand- 
ing with  which  he  met  their  counsels  and, 
when  they  interested  themselves  to  ask  ques- 
tions of  him,  at  his  answers. 

Every  day  he  came.  His  parents  were  visit- 
ing their  many  friends.  The  city,  tho  crowd- 
ed, was  perfectly  safe.  Boys  in  that  time 
were  allowed  great  freedom.  The  weather 
was  warm,  and  Jesus  could  sleep  with  his 
young  comrades  anywhere,  in  safety.  Jesus 
had  never  caused  his  mother  the  slightest 
anxiety.  But  as  a  lad  he  had  always  been 
fond  of  play  and  adventure.  He  wore  out 
clothes  just  as  other  boys  do.  So  she  felt  sure 
he  had  found  new  playmates  among  the  com- 
panies that  had  first  moved  homeward,  and 
so,  on  the  day  appointed  for  their  return,  she 
started  from  the  city  without  even  looking 
him  up. 

A  few  miles  north  of  the  capital  they  halted 
for  the  night,  at  the  first  stage  for  caravans. 
Here  they  expected  to  find  him  waiting,  or 
thought  that  if  they  tarried,  they  could  meet 
him  if  he  came  later,  easier  than  in  the 
thronged  town.    But  no.     They  stayed  over 


THREE  DAYS  AT  COLLEGE  49 

niglit  and  he  had  not  come  and  was  not  to  be 
found. 

Meantime  Jesns  was  all  day  at  the  temple. 
Here  where  the  kings  of  his  people  had 
walked,  where  the  prophets  had  preached, 
where  the  martyrs  had  died,  he  came.  What 
a  world  opened  to  this  lad  from  Nowhere  on 
this  first  stay  at  the  great  city!  He  had  ar- 
rived, a  boy ;  he  was  becoming  a  man. 

He  felt  that  he  could  not  go  until  his  great 
questions  were  answered.  The  greatest  of  all 
was,  What  was  he  to  do  with  his  life?  He 
thought  much  about  those  brave  men  of  old 
who  had  lived  for  others.  He  thought  how 
sorely  his  downtrodden  people  needed, a  de- 
liverer now.  What  could  he  do?  What  was 
he,  all  alone?  Then  he  thought  of  God.  It 
was  God  helping  Israel  that  had  made  Israel 
strong.  It  was  the  men  who  had  done  God's 
will  who  had  saved  their  nation.  WTiat  if  he 
were  to  try  perfectly  to  do  the  will  of  God? 

In  a  quiet  corner  of  the  great  church  the 
noble  boy  knelt  by  himself,  and  perhaps  his 
only  prayer  was  this:  ''That  I  may  do  my 
Father's  will." 

It  was  while  he  was  brooding  over  these 
things  that  the  anxious  mother  broke  through 
the  silken  company  of  doctors  seated  on  that 
grassy  terrace  in  the  evening  light  and  threw 
her  arms  about  her  boy,  crying,  ' '  Child,  why 
have  you  dealt  so  with  us?  Your  father  and 
I  have  sought  you  in  great  distress." 


50  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

You  will  understand  me  when  I  say  that 
Jesus  had  a  right  to  have  forgotten  all  about 
his  mother  just  then.  True,  she  was  anxious, 
but  he  was  not  a  child  now.  His  father  need- 
ed him  in  Nazareth,  but  the  All-Father  in 
Heaven  wanted  his  whole  life.  And  he  had 
this  great  life  question  which  he  needed  all 
the  help  he  could  get  to  solve,  and  he  had  to 
solve  it,  as  all  boys  do  when  they  begin  to  be 
men,  alone. 

So  he  looked,  like  one  awaking,  wondering- 
ly  into  her  face  and  answered,  *'How  is  it 
that  you  are  searching  for  meV^ 

Up  to  this  time  his  mother  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  saying  gently  to  him,  *'You  must," 
and  he  had  obeyed  her.  Now  and  henceforth 
he  felt  a  Voice  within  which  said  "/  must." 
That  Voice,  God's  Voice,  must  hereafter  be 
obeyed.  So  he  answered,  *  *  Did  you  not  know 
that  I  must  be  about  my  Father's  work?" 

She  did  not  understand  what  he  meant, 
altho  she  thought  of  these  words  many  times 
later. 


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THE   VILLAGE    CARPENTER 

What  did  the  boy  mean? 

It  may  be  the  first  thought  that  he  had  was, 
that  if  he  was  to  be  the  deliverer  his  nation 
wanted  he  would  probably  need  to  remain  in 
the  city  and  study  and  serve  about  the  temple. 

Many  a  boy  feels  that  way.  He  has  de- 
cided upon  some  noble  calling.  "Let  me  be- 
gin it  at  once"  is  his  cry.  But  he  forgets  his 
need  of  knowledge  and  wisdom  and  experi- 
ence, and  that  just  at  present  the  most  im- 
portant thing  he  has  to  do  is  to  get  ready. 

So,  back  again  up  that  steep  pathway  from 
Esdraelon  to  forsaken  Nazareth  he  went,  to 
obey,  to  love,  to  serve,  and  the  wise  men  of 
Jerusalem  entirely  forgot  him. 

His  school-days  were  soon  over.  No  doubt 
the  village  teacher  remained  his  friend,  but 
it  was  not  long  before  he  had  taught  him  all 
he  knew.  Probably  he  borrowed  the  great 
roll  of  the  holy  writings  in  the  village  church 
and  read  them  over  and  over,  for  when  he  be- 
came a  man  he  knew  them  by  heart.  Like  our 
own  Lincoln,  he  became  a  man  of  one  book. 

At  once  he  went  to  work.    His  father  was  a 


52  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

builder.  The  house  was  now  full  of  little  ones, 
and  the  oldest  boy  was  as  busy  as  his  father 
in  providing  for  their  wants.  Had  you  lived 
in  Nazareth  then  you  would  have  seen  him 
standing  among  the  shavings  in  the  house 
door,  holding  firmly  the  timber  for  his  father 
to  saw,  helping  carry  the  finished  work 
through  the  street  or  tramping  off  beside  Jo- 
seph with  his  kit  of  tools  to  do  work  in  some 
neighboring  village. 

And  he  did  not  have  many  holidays.  The 
sacred  festivals  and  the  short  rainy  season 
and  the  Sabbaths  were  his  only  days  of  rest. 

Like  every  true  boy,  he  was  fond  of  the 
water,  and  when  work  was  dull  he  sometimes 
walked  down  to  the  lake,  fifteen  miles  away, 
where  he  could  fish  with  hook  and  net  or  learn 
to  handle  the  stout  boats  that  sailed  its  treach- 
erous waters.  At  seamanship,  like  everything 
else  that  he  tried,  he  seemed  to  be  a  little 
more  capable  than  anybody  else. 

As  he  stooped  over  the  saw  or  pushed  the 
plane,  do  you  suppose,  like  other  boys,  he  ever 
longed  to  get  away  and  begin  to  be  a  man 
and  have  his  own  future  1  If  he  ever  did,  his 
dreams  were  soon  broken,  for  even  while  he 
was  a  boy  his  father  died  and  he  was  left  with 
the  care  of  his  mother  and  all  the  younger 
children  upon  his  own  strong  shoulders.  Jo- 
seph had  been  a  kind  father.  He  must  Have 
been,  for  many  of  Jesus'  best  stories  later 
were  about  kind  fathers.    And  he  was  glad 


THE  VILLAGE  CARPENTER  53 

to  try  to  take  his  place, to  think  for  his  ro  other, 
who  had  always  thought  for  him. 

But  it  is  not  an  easy  thing  for  a  boy  to  sup- 
port a  family  of  eight.  Did  you  ever  think 
that  he  had  to  do  that?  Fortunately,  people 
did  not  need  to  have  so  many  things  as  they 
do  to-day.  Their  regular  meal  consisted  of 
bread,  a  hot  gravy,  or  eggs,  or  occasionally  a 
stew  of  meat,  a  simple  relish,  vegetables,  and 
sometimes  milk  or  curds.  The  climate  was  so 
mild  that  they  lived  mostly  out-of-doors,  and 
about  all  the  furniture  they  had  was  a  table, 
a  small  kitchen  furnace  for  charcoal,  a  few 
leather  bottles,  some  wooden  bowls,  one  or 
two  water-jars,  some  goblets,  a  wooden  chest, 
and  some  thick  quilts  for  beds,  which  they  un- 
rolled and  laid  out  on  the  floor  at  night.  Of 
course,  Jesus,  being  a  carpenter,  made  his 
mother  any  conveniences  she  needed.  But 
her  housework  was  very  simple,  and  after  she 
had  tended  her  chickens  and  her  vines  she  had 
plenty  of  time  with  her  boy. 

Can  you  seem  to  see  the  curly-haired  lad 
working  at  his  bench  in  the  doorway  as  Jo- 
seph used  to  do?  He  is  now  so  strong  that 
he  can  handle  the  heavier  tools  and  do  a 
man's  work.  He  makes  plows  and  fits  them 
with  iron  shares,  and  spades  and  forks  and 
ax-hafts  and  ox-goads  and  heavy  wooden  har- 
rows. 

It  would  seem  to  us  a  hard  and  uninterest- 
ing life,  but  the  Nazarenes  would  not  have 


64  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

said  so.  **Why!"  I  can  hear  one  of  them 
exclaim,  ''Everybody  in  the  village  has  to 
come  to  his  shop,  farmers,  vine-dressers, 
shepherds,  drovers,  merchants  from  near  and 
far,  and  he  is  always  among  the  first  to  learn 
the  news.  He  it  is  who  hears  of  sudden  sor- 
row or  great  joy,  and  he  has  a  chance  to  know 
from  travelers  a  little  what  their  wide  world 
beyond  the  hills  is  thinking  and  doing,  and  to 
practise  the  language  of  other  peoples. ' ' 

There  was  much  repairing  and  rebuilding 
for  him  to  do,  for  he  was  a  mason  as  well  as 
a  carpenter,  and  the  houses  were  built  of  mud 
or  stone.  And  then  he  went  to  every  house 
to  carry  benches  and  chests,  so  that  he  knew 
everybody.  And  in  every  home  the  young 
workman,  so  willing  and  cheerful,  so  fond  of 
good  stories  and  friendly  talk,  was  a  great 
favorite.  Of  course,  all  the  children  liked 
him. 

After  Jesus  had  come  home  from  the  city 
Mary  began  slowly  to  realize  that  her  son  was 
now  becoming  a  man.  It  was  time  to  tell  him 
a  secret,  which  belonged  to  her  and  to  him. 

One  day  they  were  alone. 

Then  she  told  him  the  story  of  his  baby- 
hood. 'Before  he  was  born  there  had  come 
to  her  a  vision  that  she  was  to  be  the  mother 
of  a  king.  On  the  night  of  his  birth,  in  Beth- 
lehem of  Judea,*  shepherds  who  had  re- 
ceived the  same  message  came  to  his  birth- 

*  See  Notes  2  and  3. 


THE  VILLAGE  CARPENTER  55 

place  to  pay  him  homage.  And  a  few 
days  later  astrologers  from  distant  lands, 
of  foreign  speech,  came  riding  on  camels  to 
bring  him  gifts  and  bow  at  his  feet.  Then  the 
jealous  Roman  king,  learning  where  he  had 
been  born,  had  sought  his  life,  lest  his  friends 
should  seize  the  throne  for  him.  His  parents, 
making  use  of  the  astrologers'  gold,  had  hur- 
ried him  to  Egypt,  and  there  remained  with 
him  until  that  king  was  dead. '  These  things 
she  told  him  with  eager  face,  and  she  showed 
him  a  golden  ornament  that  remained  after 
their  exile,  as  a  sign  that  these  words  were 
true.  ''You  will  be  a  king  some  day,"  she 
whispered,  with  shining  eyes,  but  how  or  when 
she  did  not  know. 

You  have  read  of  other  princes  in  exile— 
Bonny  Prince  Charlie  and  the  Black  Prince 
and  Richard  of  the  Lion  Heart.  You  have 
perhaps  thought  of  how  they  felt— waiting, 
watching,  making  ready. 

Think  what  such  words  as  Mary  spoke 
would  mean  to  you  if  they  were  told  you  by 
your  own  mother.  Would  there  be  a  day  when 
you  would  not  be  saying :  ' '  I  am  going  to  be  a 
king.  I  shall  save  my  people !  How  shall  I 
be  worthy  of  my  kingdom?" 

Training  for  kingliness— this  sums  up  the 
boyhood  of  Jesus. 

The  companions  of  Jesus'  boyhood  were 
already  at  work  in  the  fields  and  vineyards. 
But  every  evening  they  all  met  at  the  village 


56  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

fountain  and  talked  over  the  day's  work  and 
the  latest  news  from  the  great  world  that  lay 
beyond  the  hilltops. 

They  had  much  to  talk  of.  Theirs  was  a 
conquered  country.  It  was  ruled  by  Eome, 
much  as  India  is  to-day  by  England.  But  the 
people  hated  their  rulers.  They  felt  toward 
them  much  as  our  forefathers  did  before  the 
Revolution  toward  King  George  III.  There 
had  been  occasional  uprisings  of  the  people 
against  Rome,  but  most  of  them  were  waiting 
for  some  one  to  spring  from  amongst  them- 
selves, who  would  become  their  king  and  de- 
liverer. They  had  read  even  in  their  school- 
book,  our  Old  Testament,  that  a  "Messiah" 
or  ''Christ"  (the  words  mean.  Consecrated 
One)  was  to  come,  and  ''he,"  they  thought, 
"would  make  their  kingdom  as  glorious  again 
as  his  own  ancestor,  David,  had  made  it. ' ' 

How  eagerly  must  the  young  carpenter 
have  listened  to  their  talk!  Was  not  his 
mother  often  by  his  side  to  whisper :  ' '  They 
are  speaking  of  you,  my  son!"  But  he  did 
not  say  much  in  answer. 

Did  his  neighbors  think  it  strange  that  the 
young  man,  who  claimed  to  belong  to  the  fam- 
ily of  David,  should  seem  to  care  so  little  for 
his  country?  Did  they  ever  say:  "Wliy  is 
Jesus  always  reading  the  sacred  books  in  his 
shop  and  in  his  home?  He  never  offers  to 
read  them  aloud  in  the  meeting-house  service 
and  he  never  takes  part  in  the  debates,  that 


THE  VILLAGE  CARPENTER  57 

follow  the  reading,  about  'the  Kingdom  to 
comer  " 

Surely  these  discussions  did  not  lack  in  in- 
terest. There  were  almost  as  many  ideas  as 
there  were  talkers.  But  after  all  they  sifted 
down  to  two  parties.  Most  thought  the  king- 
dom would  come  suddenly,  like  a  comet's 
flash,  with  war  and  victory  and  triumphs.  A 
few  expected  it  to  come  quietly,  like  the  day- 
break, and  gradually  to  cover  the  whole  earth. 

But  Jesus  kept  listening  and  reading.  He 
walked  alone  a  great  deal  among  the  hills,  he 
worked  hard  and  gave  his  money  to  his 
mother,  and  he  taught  his  brothers  their  trade. 

So  Jesus  worked  away  for  nearly  twenty 
years,  and  it  looked  as  if  he  would  work  on 
so  as  long  as  he  lived. 

Did  he  get  impatient  now?  When  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  when  he  was  twenty-five, 
did  he  become  restless  for  other  cities  and  for- 
eign lands  ?  Those  years  between  twenty  and 
thirty,  those  fiery,  tireless  years— we  think 
them  the  most  precious  in  life.  This  future 
king  spent  them  in  a  dingy  shop  in  that  little 
hamlet  in  Nowhere.  Once  a  year  there  was  a 
precious  week  at  the  festival  in  Jerusalem. 
Then  the  fog  of  dull,  gray  duty  shut  down 
about  him  again  and  he  was  lost  from  sight. 

Always  busy,  never  in  a  hurry— that  was 
Jesus '  way.  He  did  not  begin  his  work  until 
he  was  ready.  He  never  hurried,  no  matter 
who  smnmoned  him.    But  when  his  work  was 


58  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

over,  he  was  able  to  say  of  it, ' '  I  have  finished 
the  work  Thou  gavest  me  to  do. ' ' 

One  day  a  man  stopped  at  Jesus'  door  who 
had  just  come  up  from  the  capital.  He 
brought  great  news.  The  whole  family  of 
Jesus  gathered  to  hear  it,  and  their  neighbors 
joined  them. 

' '  The  prophet  has  come ! ' '  was  his  message. 

Some  believed  that  their  deliverer  was  go- 
ing to  be  another  father  of  his  country  like 
Moses.  Others  thought  he  would  be  a  fearless 
orator  like  Elijah. 

''Who  is  he?" 

' '  He  wears  a  hair  cloak  and  a  leather  girdle, 
he  came  from  the*  desert  and  his  food  is  rock 
honey  and—" 

''It  is  our  Elijah!"  the  people  said  excited- 

ly- 

' '  What  does  he  say  1    Tell  us. ' ' 

"He  says,  'I  am  not  He.  I  am  a  voice  of 
one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make  straight 
the  way'—" 

"For  the  king?" 

"He  says,  'The  kingdom  draws  near  I'  " 

' '  Hallelujah ! ' '  they  cried.  ' '  Where  is  he  T ' 

"He  has  come  from  the  desert,  and  he  is 
now  beside  the  Jordan.  He  is  baptizing  the 
people. ' ' 

' '  Are  there  many  with  him  I ' ' 

"Multitudes.  All  the  people  are  hurrying 
to  him." 

See  Note  9.  ' 


From  the  painting  by  Holman  Hunt 

THE    SHADOW    Ci^    DEATH 


THE  VILLAGE  CARPENTER  59 

There  was  at  once  great  excitement  in 
Nazareth.  Many  believed  that  this  was  the 
call  to  a  revolution.  Some  were  sure  that,  in 
answer  to  their  hoj^es,  the  Messiah  was  get- 
ting ready  to  ride  as  a  conqueror  from  the 
Jordan  up  the  road  that  leads  over  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  and  thence  appear  suddenly  in  the 
city  and  the  temple.  The  new  herald,  then, 
must  be  gathering  an  army  to  prepare  the 
road  before  his  triumphal  procession. 

''The  fishermen  of  Capernaum  have  left 
their  nets  to  follow  him,"  was  another  start- 
ling bit  of  news,  which  set  many  to  crying 
out,  **Let  us  go,  too.  Let  us  rally  and  show 
our  loyalty  to  the  kingdom ! ' ' 

And  that  very  evening  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  young  men,  a  few  of  them  armed,  went 
southward  by  the  valley  road  down  the  Jor- 
dan. Glance  at  the  map,  if  you  will,  and  trace 
the  route  of  their  journey. 

As  they  passed  the  home  of  Jesus  they 
shouted  to  him  to  ''come  on  and  fight  for  the 
kingdom, ' '  and  when  he  smiled  and  shook  his 
head,  one  of  them  hotly  exclaimed,  "Don't 
be  a  coward.  Come  on  now  and  do  something 
to  save  your  country. ' ' 

The  Jordan  plunges  from  the  mountains 
down  into  the  deepest  hollow  in  the  earth's 
surface.  It  rushes  from  its  green  shrubbery 
into  the  awful  Dead  Sea,  where  bare  and 
frowning  mountain  peaks  rise  from  its  broad 
valley  like  tomb  walls  for  a  giant's  sepulcher. 


60  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Here,  where  the  first  Elijah  had  left  the 
earth,  the  second  Elijah  had  appeared. 

A  day  or  two  later  Jesus  quietly  laid  away 
his  tools,  took  off  his  workman's  apron,  said 
good-by  to  his  mother  and  his  brothers,  and 
went  alone  to  the  Jordan  valley. 


VI 

A    VOICE    FROM    THE    DESERT 

The  men  from  Nazareth  found  the  prophet 
in  the  midst  of  a  throng  of  people.  Most  of 
them  were  Judeans  from  Jerusalem  and  about 
there.  A  few  had  come  down  from  the  Gali- 
lean lake. 

He  was  about  six  months  older  than  Jesus. 
Dressed  in  a  rough  shepherd's  coat  of  black 
and  white  camel's  hair,  fastened  at  the  waist 
by  a  girdle  of  lion's  skin,  he  stood  by  the  bank 
of  the  river.*  He  had  a  fierce  face.  His  hair 
hung  over  his  eyes,  which  were  deep  and  alert. 
He  did  not  utter  orations  or  sermons,  and  he 
did  not  say  even  pleasant  things  to  win  the 
people.  He  spoke  with  a  coarse  mountain 
dialect  and  a  voice  of  thunder.  "You  de- 
scendants of  vipers!  What  are  you  here 
fori-'  he  was  heard  to  roar,  when  a  very 
respectable  company  of  gentlemen  ap- 
proached him:  ''Who  told  you  to  come  here 
to  take  refuge  from  the  coming  judgment? 
You  say  Abraham  is  your  forefather.  I  tell 
you  God  can  make  better  descendants  for 
Abraham  out  of  these  pebbles. ' ' 

*  See  Note  10. 


62  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

''Who  are  you?"  asked  a  delegate  from  the 
old  temple  teachers. 

*'I  am  not  the  Christ,  not  I.'* 

"Are  you  Elijah?" 

* '  I  am  not. ' ' 

* '  Are  you  the  expected  prophet  I '  * 

"No!" 

' '  Who  are  you,  then  f  Tell  us,  for  we  must 
carry  word  back  to  those  that  sent  us.  What 
can  you  say  for  yourself  ? ' ' 

The  hermit  paused  a  moment  as  if  in 
thought,  and  then  answered  them  humbly  but 
solemnly  by  a  passage  from  their  ancient 
writings  : 

"I  am  a  Voice  of  one  who  cries  loudly  in 
the  desert : 

'Prepare  the  way  of  Jehovah. 
Every  chasm  must  be  filled  up. 
Every  hill  must  be  levelled. 
The  winding  ways  must  be  made  straight, 
And  the  stony  pathways  smooth, 
And  all  mankind  shall  see  Salvation  from 
God.'  " 

"He  is  a  crazy  fellow,"  said  his  questioner 
to  his  companion  with  a  sneer.  "He  can  do 
no  harm." 

But  the  multitude,  moved  by  his  words 
about  the  coming  deliverance,  pressed  nearer. 

The  first  to  speak  was  a  despised  tax-col- 
lector. 

"What  shall  I  do  for  the  kingdom?"  asked 
he. 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DESERT  63 

"Extort  no  more  than  the  law  allows,"  said 
the  hermit. 

The  crowd  laughed,  but  some  one  said : 

''The  kingdom  will  surely  be  here,  when 
the  taxman  does  no  more  than  that. ' ' 

''And  we.  What  shall  we  do?"  asked  a 
burly  Roman  soldier. 

"Use  no  violence  to  any  one.  Exact  noth- 
ing by  false  accusations.  And  be  content 
with  your  pay. ' ' 

"And  I?  And  I?"  asked  several  of  the 
fishermen. 

' '  If  you  have  two  cloaks, ' '  was  the  practical 
reply,  "give  one  to  your  neighbor.  If  you 
have  food,  share  that  also." 

"A  good  answer,"  said  several. 

Then  suddenly,  as  a  group  of  people  came 
down  into  the  water  to  be  baptized,  they  heard 
him  shout : 

' '  Repent  ye !  Repent  ye !  For  the  kingdom 
of  Heaven  draws  near.  I,  for  my  part,  bap- 
tize you  with  water.  But  there  is  one  more 
powerful  than  I  coming,  and  I  am  not  of 
enough  consequence  even  to  unlace  his  shoes. 
He  will  baptize  you  in  the  holy  spirit  and  in 
fire." 

These  strange  doings  went  on  day  after  day. 
The  hermit  said  nothing  new.  He  seemed  to 
be  a  man  of  one  idea.  But  more  people  kept 
crowding  in  to  hear  the  prophet.  The  sultry 
plain  became  a  great  camp-meeting.  A  few 
returned  home  to  do  as  he  said,  but  most  re- 


64  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

mained  in  curiosity  to  see  what  more  would 
happen.  And  each  day  the  excitement  of  the 
multitude  kept  growing.  Nothing  had  been 
said  yet  about  taking  up  arms,  and  no  leader 
but  the  rough-clad  exhorter  had  appeared, 
and  the  prophet  seemed  to  be  looking  with 
ever  more  anxious  face  for  his  appearance. 

On  the  third  day  the  Galileans  heard  the 
hermit  suddenly  shout: 

"See!  God's  Lamb,  who  takes  away  the 
world 's  sin ! ' ' 

The  Passover  and  its  sacrifice  were  in  the 
prophet's  mind  as  he  spoke. 

There  was  a  rush  toward  the  river.  Noth- 
ing remarkable  appeared  to  be  happening. 
They  looked  toward  the  sky  and  across  to  the 
mountains  of  Moab.  Down  in  the  water  stood 
the  skin-clad  prophet,  a  long  file  of  people 
was  passing  him  for  the  holy  rite,  but  they 
were  all  common  people.  As  he  spoke  he  had 
come  face  to  face  with  a  young  man,  and  he 
appeared  to  hesitate  about  performing  the 
ceremony.  The  youth  said  something  and  he 
hesitated  no  longer,  but  looked  up  into  heaven 
with  the  first  smile  on  his  face  that  men  had 
ever  seen. 

All  the  people  were  hushed  in  silence  as  the 
young  man  turned  to  come  out  of  the  water. 
Were  they  now  to  behold  their  Messiah? 

The  Galileans  were  dumb  with  amazement. 

It  was  the  carpenter  of  Nazareth. 


A  VOICE  FROM  THE  DESERT  65 

Certain  at  last  that  he  could  become  the 
Deliverer  toward  whom  the  centuries  were 
pointing,  Jesus  had  come  among  his  people, 
to  give  his  whole  life  to  his  Father's  work. 


vn 

A   BATTLE  ROYAL 

The  men  from  Galilee  went  back  home  dis- 
appointed. 

They  believed  that  John  the  Baptizer  was 
insane.  As  for  their  fellow  townsman,  whom 
he  had  so  strangely  pointed  out  as  their  Mes- 
siah, he  had  immediately  disappeared. 

The  next  day  the  prophet  went  on  up  the 
river,  the  multitude  gradually  dispersed  and 
the  Nazareth  men  went  home.  They  were  not 
only  disgusted  but  angry,  for  they  knew  what 
ridicule  they  might  expect  in  their  native  town 
to  come  home  so  tamely  after  so  brave  a  de- 
parture. 

Was  the  prophet  surprised  to  discover  in 
Jesus  the  deliverer  of  whom  he  had  dreamed  ? 

The  carpenter  was  John's  own  cousin.  The 
clan  spirit  was  mighty  in  Israel.  More  than 
that,  their  mothers  were  loving  friends.  The 
story  has  come  down  how  Mary  once  went  a 
hundred  miles  on  foot  to  visit  her  noble  kins- 
woman. 

We  may  be  sure  the  two  young  men  had 
often  met  as  boys ;  played  together  no  doubt, 
tested  each  other's  strength,  talked  as  they 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  67 

grew  older  of  the  great  things  they  would  like 
to  do,  planned  perhaps  how  they  would  do 
them,  like  brothers,  together. 

Since  they  had  become  men  grown  they  had 
seldom  met.  Jesus  was  a  workingman,  John 
became  a  hermit.  Jesus  went  every  year  to 
the  temple.  John  never  went.  There  was  no 
post  in  those  days,  so  they  could  not  write. 

But  men  do  not  soon  forget  the  dreams  of 
their  boyhood.  Neither  had  forgotten  their 
noble  plans  or  their  covenant  to  help  each 
other. 

Jesus  was  John's  hero.  And  John"?  Jesus 
knew  of  his  brave,  lonely  days  in  the  desert. 
He  longed  to  help  him,  now  that  he  stood 
alone.  He  even  longed  to  be  like  him.  Jesus 
wished  to  leave  his  own  safe,  comfortable 
home,  and  take  lessons  of  this  sturdy  teacher. 
Into  John's  desert,  where  none  live  but  wild 
beasts,  he  would  go.  Jesus  was  by  nature  re- 
tiring and  gentle.  He  would  there  learn  the 
courage  and  the  straight,  clear  speech  that 
this  prophet  had. 

It  had  been  easy  up  in  the  pleasant,  quiet 
mountain  village  to  dream  of  living  a  splendid 
life.  But  to  come  down  here  among  the 
noisy,  careless  crowds  was  like  stepping  into 
a  cold  flood.  To  be  baptized,  with  his  fellow 
countrymen,  by  the  dauntless  prophet  had 
been  like  the  touch  of  knighthood.  But  would 
that  consecration  hold  if  he  were  left  alone? 

Back  into  the  bleak  deserts  whence  John 


68  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

had  come  lie  went  in  the  strength  of  God  to 
meet  the  thoughts  that  were  trying  to  tear 
him  from  the  unselfish  life  to  which  he  had 
pledged  his  soul. 

He  had  made  a  rude  shelter  in  a  cave  and, 
according  to  an  ancient  custom  of  those  pre- 
paring for  noble  devotion,  denied  himself 
food,  so  that  his  brain  might  be  clear  to  think. 

Picture  yourself,  no  matter  how  brave,  re- 
moved from  neighbors  and  the  joyous  face  of 
nature,  and  shut  up  in  a  narrow,  deep  chasm,* 
with  no  sights  but  sand  and  rocks  and  grim 
shadows  and  the  prowling  forms  of  lions  and 
jackals,  and  no  sounds  but  their  cries  of  cruel- 
ty and  of  terror.  It  was  like  the  canons  of 
New  Mexico.  Live  thus  for  six  weeks,  through 
the  cheerless  days  and  the  bleak  nights,  and 
where  would  be  your  pluck  and  cheer  f 

Jesus '  thoughts  at  the  end  of  this  fast  must 
have  been  like  these: 

*'I  am  already  forgotten.  I  am  not  a 
prophet.  Nobody  cares  for  my  life.  "VVliy,  I 
am  even  starving!" 

Jesus  was  not  a  hermit.  He  was  a  hearty 
young  workingman.  He  suddenly  found  him- 
self faint  and  famished,  with  scarcely  strength 
or  time  to  seek  human  succor. 

Then  a  voice  seemed  to  say:  ''If  you  are 
a  prophet,  oh,  if  you  are  God's  son— if  you 
are — command  this  stone  to  become  a  loaf." 

He  saw  all  about  him  the  smooth  loaf- 


*  See  Note  9. 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  69 

shaped  stones  of  the  desert.  He  knew  that 
since  his  baptism  a  mighty  power  had  come 
upon  him.  He  could  save  men  from  sickness 
and  death.  He  could  save  others.  Why  not 
save  himself? 

It  was  a  little  thing.  It  seemed  harmless. 
Why  not?  Life  was  dear.  Must  God's  last 
prophet  die  without  speaking  his  message? 
Would  that  help  the  world  any?  Was  it  any- 
where written  that  the  conquering  Messiah 
must  be  starved  to  death? 

But  stop.  ''Would  he  so  soon  distrust  that 
he  was  God's  child  because  of  the  pangs  of 
hunger?  He  was  going  to  teach  men  about  a 
kingdom.  Was  that  kingdom  going  to  consist 
only  of  help  for  men's  bodies?  Was  it  going 
to  begin  with  his  looking  after  his  own  com- 
fort? And  could  not  the  king  master  even  his 
own  body  ?    Better  die  than  yield ! ' ' 

So  he  quietly  said,  as  though  in  a  dialog 
with  an  unseen  foe,  the  first  word  he  had 
spoken  aloud  for  many  days :  ' '  It  is  written : 
Man  shall  not  live  by  bread  alone. ' ' 

Perhaps  he  found  his  way  up  the  steep  and 
dangerous  path  from  the  desert  to  the  nearest 
village,  and  was  given  food.  But  he  was  not 
ready  to  go  from  the  desert.  There  was  an- 
other thing  to  settle.  How  would  he  do  his 
work? 

Did  he  come  to  Jerusalem  now,  or  was  this 
a  vision  ?    It  seemed  that  he  was  walking  upon 


70  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

the  broad  roof  of  the  new  portico,*  that 
looked  sheer  down  into  the  Kedron  chasm, 
when  another  battle  met  him.  Hundreds  of 
feet  below,  in  the  roadways  that  lead  from 
the  mountain  into  the  city,  great  numbers  of 
people  were  returning  from  the  Jordan.  Be- 
hind him  was  the  temple  area  where  the 
priests  were  sacrificing,  full  of  worshipers 
from  many  lands. 

Was  not  the  old  prophecy  fulfilled:  "The 
Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  shall  suddenly  come  to 
his  temple. ' '  Was  it  not  just  here  among  the 
crowds  that  every  one  expected  the  appear- 
ance of  the  long-awaited  Messiah!  Was  not 
He  that  High  Priest? 

A  voice  seemed  to  shout  in  his  ear :  *  'Leap 
down!  Claim  your  kingdom  at  one  blow. 
The  ancient  Scripture  foretells  that  if  you  are 
the  Son  of  God,  angels  shall  always  protect 
you.  In  an  instant  the  people  will  welcome 
you  with  shouts  of  joy." 

The  idea  was  a  fantastic  one.  But  the  sug- 
gestion behind  the  idea  was  reasonable.  How 
could  he  lead  men  unless  they  believed  in  him? 
Could  he  persuade  them  any  too  soon  ?  What 
was  the  use  of  waiting?  And  how  could  he 
do  it  better  than  here  and  now?  The  people 
were  already  excited  to  anticipation  by  John's 
teaching.  Everybody  expected  that  the  Mes- 
siah would  declare  himself  by  some  sensa- 
tional, even  extravagant,  action.    One  act  of 

*  See  Note  12. 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  71 

personal  valor— only  one— and  victory!  And 
if  he  failed,  then  better  death.  What  brave 
youth  would  refuse  such  a  challenge  ? 

*'Ah,  you  are  God's  son,  are  you,  and  you 
have  not  a  single  sign  of  his  protection  or 
power,"  the  voice  kept  saying. 

When  he  thought  of  himself,  such  a  magic 
test  seemed  right.  But  when  he  thought  of 
God,  it  was  all  wrong.  To  degrade  God's 
majesty  by  the  test  of  foolhardiness,  no  mat- 
ter how  brave  1    No ! 

*'Thou  shalt  not  test  the  Lord  thy  God— so 
it  is  written." 

He  seemed  to  find  himself  ere  long  at  the 
border  of  the  desert  on  a  mountain  summit 
that  overlooks  the  Jordan  at  the  place  of  his 
baptism. 

It  is  a  wonderful  view*.  The  whole  world 
seems  spread  out  beneath.  There  is  Jeru- 
salem on  the  west;  far  beyond  those  eastern 
cliffs  is  Babylon;  the  desert  at  the  south 
stretches  clear  to  Egypt.  And  down  below 
shone  Herod's  marble  palace,  the  emblem  of 
Rome,  beside  the  old  pilgrim  road  that  had 
been  trodden  by  the  armies  of  every  conquer- 
ing race  since  the  dawn  of  history.  And  yon- 
der danced  the  Jordan  to  its  grave  in  the 
Dead  Sea,  an  emblem  of  life,  so  bright,  so 
brief.  He  remembered  his  mother 's  song  and 
dreams:  ''You  will  be  a  king  some  day." 
He  saw  the  world.  He  saw  himself,  a  man  of 
might  and  destiny. 

*  See  Note  11. 


72  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

''Quick!"  said  the  voice  once  more.  "If 
you  are  the  Son  of  God— and  surely  you  do 
not  doubt  it  now— take  the  throne  of  the  world 
to-day.  You  can  have  it!  It  is  mine,  it  is 
yours,  for  it  is  your  own  voice  you  hear.  Go 
forth  and  save  the  world." 

Yes,  it  was  true.    He  could  become  a  Caesar. 

And  the  Jews  expected  it.  They  believed 
their  king  would  not  only  restore  the  king- 
dom to  Israel  and  make  Jerusalem  again  the 
city  of  the  Great  King,  but  they  believed  he 
would  possess  all  kingdoms  and  the  glory  of 
them.  Were  they  to  be  utterly  disappointed  1 
Was  there  to  be  no  revenge  for  all  their  sor- 
rows 1  Were  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  to  be 
kept  forever  by  cruel  tyrants,  and  were  men 
to  suffer  forever  without  a  deliverer!  What 
was  his  kingdom,  anj^way? 

Ah,  he  knew.  Men  looked  for  a  Caesar,  but 
they  needed  a  Savior.  The  only  kingdom  that 
could  help  them  was  the  kingdom  of  heaven, 
that  is,  of  love.  He  could  do  without  men's 
crowns;  he  would  bear  men's  crosses. 

'  *  Conquer  and  succeed ! ' '  the  voice  shouted 
still  louder.    ''Refuse  and  be  forgotten." 

Forgotten?  Yes,  it  looked  so.  To  be  de- 
spised and  rejected  of  men  would  be  his  lot. 
But,  like  a  soldier  who  can  not  see  anything 
but  danger  and  dut}^,  he  dared  it  all,  and  si- 
lenced the  tempting  voice  by  this  last  rebuke 
to  his  own  tempest-tossed  heart: 

"Get  hence,  you  tempter!     God  alone  is 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  73 

king.  Only  to  him  shall  you  give  homage; 
him  only  shall  you,  him  only  will  I,  serve," 

And  so  the  greatest  of  all  battles  was  won. 

Did  some  lonely  shepherd  watch  him  as  he 
walked  pale,  calm,  triumphant  out  of  the 
desert! 

If  so,  little  did  he  know  that  here  came  a 
king,  mighty  tho  lone,  a  captain  whose  sword 
was  henceforth,  as  an  olden  writer  says, 
'' bathed  in  Heaven." 


vni 

NEW  COMRADES 

Fishermen  make  famous  comrades. 

They  are  strong,  willing,  patient,  hopeful, 
and  they  live  out  doors  most  gladsomely. 

Jesus'  desert  life  was  over.  Unlike  John, 
he  was  to  be  no  solitary  hermit,  but  the 
world's  friend.  He  needed  a  company  of 
friends  to  help  him.  And  John  knew  that 
the  fishermen  whom  he  had  himself  gathered 
and  trained  were  just  the  men  Jesus  wanted. 

It  was  hard  for  John  to  let  them  go.  John 
was  a  young  man  with  his  life  before  him. 
He  had  his  fight,  too.  To  let  another  step  into 
your  place,  to  hear  him  praised  instead  of 
yourself,  to  watch  him  doing  the  work  you 
want  to  do— is  there  anything  harder  than 
that? 

But  John  did  not  flinch.  He  believed  in 
Jesus '  greatness.  He  was  true  to  his  clan  and 
to  his  hero. 

And  he  not  only  did  it— he  did  it  cheer- 
fully. 

'  *  He  must  increase.  I  must  decrease, ' '  this 
unselfish  man  said.    **You  heard  me  say  that 


NEW  COMRADES  75 

I  am  not  the  Messiah."  Then  he  added  this 
beautiful  sentence:  "It  is  the  groom,  who 
leads  home  the  bride,  but  it  makes  the  groom's 
friend  happy  just  to  listen  and  hear  the  bride- 
groom's  voice." 

So  he  told  the  fishermen  to  prepare  to  go 
with  Jesus. 

He  was  talking  one  day  with  two  of  them. 
The  name  of  one  was  Andrew,  of  the  other, 
John.  They  were  both  young  men.  John  you 
will  find  particularly  worth  noticing.  He  was 
the  first  to  follow  Jesus.  He  became  Jesus' 
dearest  friend.  He  was  the  only  one  who 
stood  by  him  to  the  last.  As  he  outlived  all 
the  twelve,  he  was  for  years  the  only  living 
comrade  of  Jesus  on  earth. 

He  was  probably  the  youngest  of  them  all. 
He  was  a  fiery,  obstinate,  ambitious,  but  lov- 
able fellow.  He  spent  his  last  days,  an  exile, 
because  he  was  true  to  Jesus,  at  work  in  the 
mines  on  a  lonely  island  in  the  Mediterranean. 
When  he  was  too  old  to  remember  anything 
else,  it  is  said  that  he  was  accustomed  to  quote 
to  everybody  one  sentence  of  Jesus:  ''Love 
each  other."  ''Why  do  you  keep  saying 
that  ? ' '  they  asked  him.  ' '  Because  if  you  will 
do  that,"  he  answered,  "nothing  else  is  nec- 
essary." So  he  is  known  as  the  Apostle  of 
Love. 

As  the  three  talked,  they  saw  some  one  pass- 
ing them  near  the  river.  He  was  dressed  in 
the  common,  striped  garments  of  brown  and 


76  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

white,  worn  by  the  peasants  of  upper  Galilee. 
The  fishermen  were  startled  to  hear  the 
prophet  suddenly  exclaim,  as  he  had  at  the 
baptism, ' '  See !    God 's  Lamb ! ' ' 

Then  in  a  lower  voice  he  said.  "Go  to 
him. ' ' 

It  was  Jesus. 

The  two  had  met  Jesus  before,  fishing  by 
the  lake  and  down  beside  the  river,  but  then 
he  was  a  carpenter.  Now  he  was  a  rabbi. 
They  felt  timid. 

''What  shall  we  say?"  whispered  Andrew. 

The  young  man  solved  their  difficulty  by 
turning  around  and  asking  courteously, 
''What  are  you  looking  for?" 

"Sir,"  said  John,  "where  are  you  living?" 

"Just  come  and  see,"  he  said  with  a  smile. 

They  followed  him,  and  he  went,  not  toward 
a  village  but  toward  the  hills,  and  there  they 
found  a  smoldering  fire  beside  a  running 
brook,  evidently  the  stranger's  camping-place. 
Their  fear  of  him  was  soon  gone  when  they 
found  him  living  as  they  themselves  often  did 
in  the  fishing  season. 

It  was  then  about  four  in  the  afternoon. 
They  spent  the  day  with  Jesus,  and  at  night 
walked  on  to  their  own  homes*  beside  the  lake, 

Andrew  had  a  favorite  brother.  The  next 
morning,  being  the  Sabbath,  he  persuaded  him 
to  walk  out  and  call  on  the  new  teacher. 

' '  The  Messiah  is  here ! "  he  told  him. 


*  See  Note  13. 


NEW  COMRADES  77 

"Where  is  he  from?"  asked  incredulous 
Simon. 

' '  From  Nazareth. ' ' 

''No  prophet  is  coming  from  that  place." 

"You  come  and  see  him,"  urged  Andrew. 

He  was  a  splendid  fellow,  this  brother, 
straightforward  and  sturdy  and  with  a  shaggy 
head.  He  had  a  laughing  eye  and  a  ready 
speech,  and  his  mouth,  if  not  firm,  was  not 
unkindly.  He  came  slowly  up  to  Jesus,  who 
was  seated  beside  the  camp-fire  preparing  din- 
ner.   Jesus  rose  to  meet  him. 

The  world  knows  how  Jesus  looked.  The 
fisherman  John  has  told  us.  His  body  was 
unusually  tall  and  straight  and  strong,  his 
hands  were  hard  from  toil,  his  feet  were 
scorched  by  the  desert,  but  it  was  his  face 
that  ennobled  him.  His  hazel  eyes  were  like  a 
flame  of  fire,  searching,  eager,  loving,  and  his 
whole  countenance  was  radiant  with  health 
and  joy,  and  his  voice  was  as  strong  and  musi- 
cal as  the  sound  of  falling  waters.  No  man 
could  look  him  in  the  eye  whose  heart  was  not 
clean,  but  a  child  would  have  run  to  him  at 
once. 

The  two  men  faced  each  other.  Simon 
looked  at  Jesus  and  was  satisfied.  Jesus 
looked  at  Simon  and  measured  him.  He  saw 
what  you  and  I  see  now :  the  Giant  among  the 
followers  of  Jesus.  Only  a  fisherman,  unlet- 
tered and  inexperienced,  impulsive  and  nar- 
row-minded.    But  here  was  the  man  who 


78  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

would  lead  all  the  others,  be  their  spokesman 
and  guide,  and  when  the  wall  of  the  new  tem- 
ple of  the  kingdom  was  being  built,  his  life 
would  be  the  first  great  stone  laid  upon  the 
Foundation,  Christ  himself. 

''You  are  Simon,"  Jesus  said  at  length. 
''You  will  be  called,  'Peter,'  the  Man  of 
Rock." 

Jesus  was  not  giving  him  a  new  name.  He 
was  foretelling  his  character.  Tell  a  man  not 
what  he  is,  but  what  he  can  be,  and  you  win 
him.  That  sentence  pleased  the  warm-hearted 
fisherman  greatly.  He  gave  Jesus  his  hand, 
and  with  it  his  heart. 

Young  fishermen,  one  after  another,  kept 
coming  out  to  Jesus'  camp,  until  there  were 
five.  They  all  took  to  him.  And  as  they  sat 
and  heard  him  tell  stories  by  the  camp-fire 
under  the  stars  they  thought  him  the  finest 
comrade  they  had  ever  met. 

The  trouble  with  the  hermit  prophet  had 
been  that  after  he  had  told  his  listeners  to 
stop  doing  wrong,  he  had  no  other  message 
for  them. 

"That  is  all  very  well,"  said  Peter  and 
John,  "but  we  are  not  hermits.  We  are  fish- 
ermen with  homes  and  nets  to  attend  to.  After 
we  have  repented  and  stopped  cheating  and 
given  away  our  extra  garments,  what  comes 
next?" 

The  prophet  could  not  tell  them. 

Jesus  saw  their  difficulty.    They  needed  to 


NEW  COMRADES  79 

see  how  to  do  God's  will  as  the  lonely  hermit 
had  never  tried  to  do  it,  right  where  they 
lived,  in  the  tasks  and  pleasures  of  every  day. 
How  could  he  make  this  plain? 

Just  then  all  five  were  invited  with  Jesus 
to  a  wedding ! 

What!  A  world  to  save  and  its  Savior  off 
to  a  wedding? 

Why  not? 

For  it  is  a  world  in  which  homes  and  mar- 
riages and  children  and  living  with  each 
other  are  the  constant  things  and  the  chief 
things. 

Jesus  saved  the  world,  by  laying  his  life 
alongside  men's  lives,  in  their  gladness  just 
as  much  as  in  their  grief. 

John  would  have  been  an  uncomfortable 
guest  at  such  a  place,  and  he  would  have  made 
everybody  else  uncomfortable,  too.  The  first 
step  in  the  education  of  John's  friends  was 
for  them  to  learn  that  to  be  happy  and  to  make 
others  happy  was  the  very  life  of  the  new 
kingdom. 

It  was  perhaps  two  days'  tramp  from  the 
deep  Jordan  valley  up  across  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon  to  Nazareth.  Here  they  called  for 
Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  then  all 
walked  on  together  to  a  little  village  on  the 
tablelands  beyond.  The  bride  was  probably 
a  relative  of  Jesus,  perhaps  his  sister. 

It  was  nearly  night  when  they  arrived. 
They  had  hardly  refreshed  themselves  with 


80  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

food  when  it  was  time  for  the  bridal*  proces- 
sion to  start.  It  reminded  him  of  the  play- 
time of  his  boyhood.  They  seized  torches, 
like  the  rest,  and  hastened  with  songs  to 
escort  the  bride  and  her  group  of  damsels  to 
her  future  home.  As  soon  as  the  night  had 
fallen  she  emerged  from  her  chamber  in  her 
fairest  robes,  decked  with  flowers  and  covered 
with  a  flowing  veil. 

The  song  of  compliment  grew  louder. 

' '  Ah,  ha !  her  red  cheeks  are  her  own. 
Her  hair  hangs  waving  as  it  grew, ' ' 

the  bridesmaids  carolled.  Wine  and  oil  were 
shared  by  the  older  people  at  this  moment, 
and  nuts  were  scattered  among  the  children. 

It  was  a  weird  but  merry  sight  when  the 
little  company  came  out  from  the  cottage  and 
passed  down  the  narrow  street,  the  torches 
flaring  and  throwing  up  gigantic  shadows  on 
every  side,  the  flute  and  drum  marking  a 
dancing  step,  and  all,  old  and  young,  singing 
the  bridal  song. 

When  they  were  near  the  bridegroom's 
house  he  and  his  young  friends  came  out  to 
meet  them,  and  both  bands  melted  into  one, 
as  they  crossed  his  threshold  to  the  feast. 

It  was  not  a  ceremony  in  high  life,  but  they 
were  just  as  happy  as  anybody  could  have 
been  in  kings'  palaces. 

The  next  day,  while  the  feast  continued, 

*  See  Note  14. 


NEW  COMRADES  81 

sometliing  very  embarrassing  occurred.  The 
wine  gave  out. 

The  groom  in  making  his  purchases  had 
not  counted  on  the  five  Capernaum  fishermen 
who  had  so  unexpectedly  joined  the  company. 

The  mother  of  Jesus,  who  was  in  charge  in 
the  kitchen,  first  noticed  the  impending  dif- 
ficulty. She  did  not  want  to  tell  the  guests 
or  the  host.    What  could  she  do  ? 

She  would  tell  her  son.  She  had  not  leaned 
on  him  for  twenty  years  in  vain.  She  re- 
membered the  promise  that  she  had  awaited 
so  long.  She  knew  his  strange  powers,  and 
that  since  he  had  given  his  whole  life  to  God 
in  the  Jordan  they  were  now  ready  to  be  used. 
What  better  place  to  claim  his  kingdom  than 
among  his  own  proud  kinsmen"?  Thus  would 
she  share  his  fame. 

But  how  foolish  she  was!  The  kingdom 
from  which  Jesus  would  not  borrow  a  loaf 
for  his  hunger  was  not  intended  to  be  used  to 
open  the  mouths  of  his  family  with  wonder. 

And  yet  it  was  because  of  his  own  com- 
panions that  the  wine  had  failed. 

"WHiat  would  he  do? 

She  called  him  away  from  the  company, 
among  whom  none  was  more  happy  than  he, 
and  said,  "Jesus,  they  have  no  more  wine." 

And  he,  seeing  the  fond  and  ambitious  look 
in  her  eyes,  answered  her  in  the  pleasant,  re- 
spectful fashion  with  which  sons  used  to  ad- 
dress their  mothers, ' '  My  lady,  why  must  that 


82  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

be  a  care  to  you  and  to  me?"  And  then  he 
added,  ' '  My  time  is  not  yet  come. ' ' 

Mary  was  perfectly  relieved,  altho  she  had 
no  idea  what  he  meant  or  what  he  would  do, 
and  she  said  to  the  two  little  serving  maids 
who  were  trudging  from  kitchen  to  banquet 
room  and  back  again,  ''Whatever  he  says  to 
you,  do  it." 

You  know  what  he  did.  So  delicately  that 
no  one  but  these  children  knew  it,  he  sup- 
plied the  lack  in  such  a  bountiful  way  that  the 
groom  was  even  praised  for  his  generosity. 
And  John  and  the  other  fishermen  did  not 
learn  what  had  happened  until  Mary  told 
them  on  the  way  home. 

When  the  festivities  were  over,  Jesus  and 
his  mother  and  the  fishermen  walked  back  to- 
gether clear  to  Capernaum.  It  was  the  last 
time  Jesus  would  see  his  mother  for  a  year. 
The  purpose  of  bringing  her  to  the  lakeside 
village  was  to  let  her  choose  a  new  home,  for 
Jesus  saw  that  for  his  kind  of  life  this  larger 
and  more  central  town  would  be  a  better  place 
for  him  to  live  than  the  village  where  he  was 
brought  up. 

You  will  find  Capernaum  on  your  maps 
marked  as  being  on  the  northwest  shore  of 
the  beautiful  harp-shaped  Lake  of  Galilee. 
But  it  has  entirely  disappeared,  and  nobody 
to-day  is  sure  just  where  it  was.  But  at  that 
time  Capernaum  was  a  beautiful  place.  John 
had  lived  alone  in  the  lonely  wastes  near  the 


NEW  COMRADES  83 

Dead  Sea  waters,  and  made  the  people  come 
out  to  find  him,  but  Jesus  went  to  live  amongst 
men  and  chose  his  home  in  a  bright  and  busy 
city.  Its  white  walls  were  reflected  in  a 
limpid  lake,  which  lay  deep  among  yellow 
hills,  a  sapphire  sea  in  a  cup  of  gold.  It  lay 
along  a  shining  beach.  Its  gardens,  its  trees 
and  its  flowers  were  everywhere  famous.  The 
little  lake  upon  which  it  fronted  was  five  hun- 
dred feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  con- 
sequently it  had  a  hot  and  fertile  climate. 
There  were  many  other  lively  towns  by  its 
shore,  too,  in  the  largest  of  which  stood  the 
new  Golden  House,  a  palace  of  their  Roman 
king. 

It  was  rather  early  for  the  fishing  season, 
and  in  a  few  days  Jesus  and  his  new  friends 
were  off  on  another  long  tramp  together. 
They  were  going  to  the  capital  to  the  Pass- 
over. 

They  passed  down  the  Jordan  valley,  walk- 
ing two  by  two  upon  the  narrow  footpath. 
Can  you  not  imagine  their  eager  conversation 
as  they  reached  one  historic  spot  after  an- 
other, their  songs  on  the  way,  their  meetings 
with  old  friends,  and  the  good  times  beside 
the  camp-fire?  It  was  on  this  journey  that 
Jesus  probably  saw  John,  the  baptizer,  for 
the  last  time  in  his  life. 

Jesus  was  going  to  the  feast,  as  all  the  men 
of  his  nation  went,  to  do  honor  to  the  ancient 
custom,  but  as  he  sometimes  walked  alone 


84  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

ahead  of  the  others,  he  was  thinking  of  what 
he  might  do  at  that  feast  that  would  help  his 
people. 

He  did  not  have  to  wait  to  find  out. 

You  know  how  he  loved  the  temple.  He 
always  spoke  of  it  tenderly  as  his  ''Father's 
house. ' '  Every  true  Israelite  so  loved  it.  It 
was  not  only  the  central  house  of  prayer  to 
the  Jews  in  all  the  world,  but  it  was  to  them 
all  that  our  Capitol  at  Washington,  our  White 
House,  our  national  library,  our  noble  old  uni- 
versities, are,  all  in  one. 

Now  at  this  feast  Jews  coming  from  all  the 
world  brought  their  gifts  in  foreign  coin, 
which  must  be  changed  into  Jewish  money. 
All  who  came  must  also  purchase  victims  for 
the  sacrifices.  So  the  little  shops  of  money- 
brokers  and  enclosures  of  those  who  sold  cat- 
tle, sheep  and  doves  had  gradually  filled  the 
narrow  streets  below  the  temple,  and  of  late 
had  crept  up  into  the  very  temple  courts 
themselves.  These  courts,  which  were  very 
broad  and  which  had  always  been  reserved 
for  foreigners  who  came  to  learn  of  the  He- 
brews '  God,  were  now  so  filled  with  cattle  that 
even  these  worshipers  were  crowded  out. 
Somebody,  of  course,  was  making  money  out 
of  these  pri\dleges.  Some  say  the  high  priest 
himself.  And  the  worst  of  the  wretched  busi- 
ness was  that  the  people  were  helpless.  If 
they  bought  their  lambs  down  in  the  city 
shops,  the  priests,  who  decided  whether  the 


NEW  COMKADES  85 

animals  were  clean  for  sacrifice  or  not,  might 
refuse  to  accept  them,  so  that  they  were 
forced  to  buy  in  the  temple  at  a  double  price. 

All  the  way  to  the  capital  the  people  were 
telling  Jesus  these  facts.  All  the  time  he  was 
considering  how  he  could  stand  up  for  them  in 
their  wrongs. 

As  soon  as  he  reached  the  city  he  hurried 
to  the  temple  that  he  might  see  for  himself. 

You  can  picture  the  disgraceful  scene :  the 
stench  of  the  animals  steaming  in  the  warm 
April  sun,  the  lowing  of  oxen,  the  bleating  of 
sheep,  the  rustling  of  frightened  doves,  the 
clink  of  money  and  the  loud  protests  of  trade, 
drowning  out  the  prayers  of  the  priests  and 
the  chant  of  the  temple  children  in  the  House 
of  God! 

Jesus  pushed  his  way  through  this  throng 
and  stood  on  the  steps  above,  surrounded  by 
the  five  fishermen.  Nobody  knew  him.  The 
whole  power  of  the  priests  and  of  the  Roman 
city  police  was  behind  these  merchants.  The 
people  had  gotten  so  accustomed  to  the  sight 
that  they  were  indifferent. 

It  is  not  easy,  is  it,  to  speak  out  against  what 
everybody  accepts  as  right?  Especially  when 
those  who  are  doing  the  wrong  are  successful, 
well  protected,  and  well  thought  of!  It  is 
not  pleasant  to  be  called  ' '  singular. ' '  It  was 
particularly  hard  for  Jesus,  for  he  was  a 
quiet  body,  not  a  bully  or  a  braggart.    And 


86  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

one  would  hesitate  before  risking  his  life  for 
his  own  opinion  in  a  case  like  this. 

But  that  is  just  what  Jesus  did.  He  did 
not  wait  until  he  had  gathered  an  armed  com- 
pany. He  did  not  even  ask  the  help  of  those 
he  had.  He  just  grasped  up  from  the  floor 
a  bunch  of  the  rushes  with  which  it  was  car- 
peted and,  armed  with  this  apology  for  a 
whip,  secured  the  attention  of  all  by  a  shout. 

We  can  imagine  some  spectator  telling  what 
follows : 

"With  towering  figure  and  majestic  step 
he  advanced,  flaming-eyed,  first  upon  the  cat- 
tle dealers,  and  drove  their  beasts  and  the  low 
crowd  of  attendants  from  the  doors  and  down 
the  broad  steps.  Pie  upset  the  tables  of 
money.  Even  to  those  who  sold  doves  he 
came;  there  he  hesitated,  gently,  lest  the  in- 
nocent birds  should  be  injured.  He  then  said 
sternly,  'Take  them  from  this  place.  Do  not 
turn  my  Father 's  house  into  a  market  place. ' 

"The  news  of  this  courageous  act  spread 
at  once  through  the  thousands  that  thronged 
the  city.  The  Passover  had  always  been 
anticipated  by  us  as  the  time  for  seizing  our 
independence.  But  this  deed  did  not,  as  the 
fishermen  expected,  bring  Jesus  great  crowds 
of  volunteers.  We  were  too  frightened  to  act. 
He  had  delivered  us  from  injustice,  but  he 
had  gone  no  farther.  He  was  alone.  He  had 
raised  no  army.  He  had  issued  no  proclama- 
tions.    He  had  acted  like  a  prophet  rather 


From  the  <li:iwiii<>;  hy  .1.  M.  II.  Ilofiiiami 

JESUS    CLEANSLXG    THE    TEMPLE 


NEW  COMRADES  87 

than  as  king.  Would  not  our  real  king  send 
the  Roman  soldiers  to  destroy  this  usurper 
of  authority?" 

The  teachers  of  religion  were  in  session  on 
the  sunny  porch  where  Jesus  as  a  boy,  twenty 
years  before,  had  asked  them  questions,  when 
this  startling  news  came  to  them.  They 
should  have  been  delighted.  They  were  sim- 
ply dumbfounded.  They  sent  a  committee  at 
once  to  Jesus,  who  was  still  in  the  temple. 

* '  What  sign  can  you  show  us,  to  prove  that 
you  have  a  right  to  act  in  this  way?"  they 
demanded  sternly. 

The  people  of  the  East  are  fond  of  puzzles. 
These  wise  men  liked  to  give  puzzle-answers. 
Jesus  remembered  some  of  the  puzzles  these 
same  men  had  told  him  as  a  boy  to  bewilder 
him  when  he  was  seeking  the  truth.  So  he 
gave  them  another,  to  think  upon. 

''Destroy  this  temple,"  he  answered  with 
a  smile,  pointing  to  his  own  body,  "and  in 
three  days  I  will  raise  it  up. ' ' 

"But,"  stammered  an  old  man  who  was 
looking  about  him  at  the  temple— one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world— and  had  not  noticed 
the  meaning  of  the  gesture  of  Jesus,  "But 
this  temple  has  been  fully  forty-six  years 
building  (indeed  it  was  still  unfinished),  and 
how  are  you  going  to  raise  it  up  again  in 
three  days  I ' ' 

Jesus  left  them  to  think  it  over. 

Many   years   later   John   and   the    others 


88  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

solved  the  puzzle.  Brick  and  stone  do  not 
make  a  temple.  This  marble  building  jammed 
with  cattle  was  no  longer  a  temple.  The  best 
temple  of  God  is  a  man. 

The  priests  could  not  forget  Jesus'  words. 
Three  years  after  this  these  same  men  brought 
these  words  up  against  Jesus  as  evidence 
when  they  tried  him  for  his  life. 

As  the  fishermen  were  walking  out  that 
evening  to  their  camp  on  the  hill,  talking  ex- 
citedly of  this  exploit  of  their  young  leader, 
who  was  a  guest  in  John's  city  house  that 
night,  one  of  them  named  Nathaniel,  said  to 
the  others: 

''Well,  it  was  a  fine  deed!  And  do  you 
know  he  brought  to  my  mind  that  old  saying, 
'Zeal  for  Thy  house  shall  even  devour  me.' 
For  the  sake  of  our  holy  faith  I  believe  our 
master  would  give  his  very  life. ' ' 

As  the  result  of  this  brave  act  only  one  man 
came  to  believe  in  the  Nazarene.  It  was 
Nicodemus,  one  of  this  college  of  the  wise 
men,  and  even  he  did  not  dare  stand  up  for 
his  faith  until  it  was  too  late  to  be  of  any  use. 

So  after  all,  it  was  to  a  sad  bed  that  Jesus 
went  that  Passover  night. 


IX 
A    WELLSIDE    DIALOG 

What  was  the  plan  of  Jesus '  life  ? 

He  was  to  become  a  king,  was  he  not? 

But  he  had  not  yet  won  his  kingdom. 

Did  you  ever  realize  that  he  had  a  plan  of 
campaign  just  as  much  as  did  Napoleon  or 
Caesar? 

I  can  show  you  something  of  his  purpose 
by  a  story. 

He  had  decided  to  begin  his  work  by  help- 
ing John  the  Baptizer.  And  so  into  gray, 
stony  Judea  he  went,  baptizing  as  John  had 
done,    and   teaching   the  words   of    John. 

After  several  months'  stay  he  left  Judea 
and  came  one  hot  smnmer  day  at  about  noon 
to  a  well  in  the  land  of  Samaria,  that  region 
of  half-pagan  country  between  the  capital 
and  his  home.  It  is  possible  that  he  took  this 
route  because  it  was  no  longer  safe  to  go  by 
the  Jordan  way,  where  the  king  had  just 
seized  upon  John  and  put  him  in  jail. 

This  well*  was  that  famous  one,  dug  by 
Jacob,  the  grandson  of  Abraham,  when  he  was 
a  shepherd-chief  in  this  valley.  He  had  often 
passed  it  and  he  always  stopped  beside  it  to 

*  See  Notes  15  and  16. 


90  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

rest.  It  stood  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  broad, 
fertile  meadow,  and  here  Jesus,  exhausted, 
threw  himself  down  in  the  grassy  shade,  while 
the  hungry  fishermen  were  foraging  for  food. 

The  Samaritans  were,  as  I  have  told  you,  a 
mongrel  lot,  like  the  dogs  in  their  streets,  and 
the  Jews  would  no  more  think  of  speaking  to 
them  than  to  a  dog.  Yet  they  had  the  same 
hopes  and  dreams  as  did  the  Jew.  Perhaps 
there  was  something  good  in  them.  The 
young  man  at  the  well  proposed  to  find  out. 

His  drowse  was  interrupted  by  the  rustle 
of  some  one  approaching,  and  when  he  saw 
that  it  was  a  woman  with  a  water  pitcher  he 
rose  to  his  feet. 

She  was  a  n'er-do-well  from  the  near-by 
village,  a  silly,  sinful  woman.  She  told  her- 
self that  she  came  out  here  at  this  uncomfort- 
able hour  because  of  her  reverence  for  this 
sacred  water,  but  the  fact  was  that  the  other 
women  who  came  to  the  well  in  the  village 
would  have  nothing  to  do  with  her. 

She  had  quickened  her  pace  when  she  saw 
that  there  was  a  man  at  the  well,  but  stood 
still  when  she  saw  that  he  was  a  Jew  and  a 
rabbi. 

So  they  faced  each  other.  If  lives  are  like 
books,  his  was  a  heroic  history  in  a  golden 
binding,  hers  was  a  paper-covered  novel. 

Surely  he  would  ignore  her.  In  those  days 
a  rabbi  would  not  address  a  woman,  much  less 
a  Samaritan  one. 


A  WELLSIDE  DIALOG.  91 

An  hour  later  a  wild-eyed  woman  in  the 
village  square  was  saying  in  an  awed  yet 
eager  voice  to  all  she  met: 

'  *■  Come !  come !  See  the  man  who  has  told 
me  all  that  ever  I  did!" 

Wliat  had  happened  ? 

This  was  her  story. 

She  told  of  going  out  to  the  well  and  meet- 
ing a  Jewish  rabbi. 

''I  had  just  let  down  my  water  pot  into  the 
well,  when,  with  a  start,  I  heard  him  say, 
'Will  you  give  me  a  drink?' 

'*I  filled  my  water  jar  slowly,  saying  with 
a  smile,  *You  must  be  very  thirsty  if  you, 
who  are  a  Jew,  will  ask  a  drink  of  me,  a 
Samaria  woman. ' 

*'  'If  you  knew  God's  free  gift,'  the  stranger 
answered  gently,  '  and  who  it  is  that  asks  you 
for  a  drink,  you  would  have  asked  him  for 
Water  of  Life— and  he  would  have  given  it 
to  you. ' 

"I  set  my  jar  down  by  the  well  and  looked 
up  saucily  at  him. 

"  'You  can  not  be  a  greater  man,'  said  I, 
'than  our  forefather  Jacob,  who  gave  us  this 
well  and  drank  here  himself  with  all  his  sons 
and  his  cattle  ? ' 

"  'But  if  anyone  drinks  of  this  water  they 
will  become  thirsty  again,'  said  this  strange 
man,  'while,  if  they  drink  that  water  that  I 
can  give,  they  will  be  thirsty  nevermore.  * 

"  *Ah,  me!'  said  I  (with  lazy  mockery),  'let 


92  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

me  have  this  water,  so  that  I  shall  not  thirst 
and  not  need  to  come  clear  out  here  to  draw. ' 

'*  'Go,'  said  the  young  rabbi  sternly,  'and 
call  your  husband  and  come  here  with  him, ' 

"I  had  gone  too  far. 

"  'I  haven't  any  husband,'  I  said  with 
downcast  head. 

''  'Very  true,'  answered  he,  and  he  told  me 
what  you  all  know  of  my  wretched  history.  I 
confess  I  was  not  just  then  so  much  ashamed 
to  hear  it  as  perplexed  to  see  how  he  had 
found  it  all  out. 

"  '  I  see,  sir, '  I  answered  more  respectfully, 
'that  you  must  be  a  sort  of  a  prophet.'  It 
was  ••a  good  chance  to  change  the  subject. 
'Now  our  fathers  have  always  worshiped  on 
this  hilltop,'  and  I  pointed  to  our  temple  on 
the  mountain.  'But  in  Jerusalem  is  where 
you  say  people  ought  to  worship. ' 

"For  the  first  time  the  Jew  used  the  title 
of  respectful  address.  'Woman,'  he  said, 
'believe  me,  a  time  must  come  when  neither 
here  nor  there  will  true  worshipers  worship 
the  Father.  Men  will  then  worship  Hi  i 
everywhere,  in  Spirit  and  truth.  For  God 
is  a  spirit  and  it  is  in  spirit  that  men  must 
worship  him.' 

(He  was  trying  to  tell  her  what  he  had  said 
to  the  doctors :  the  true  temple  of  God  is  man.) 

"But  I  am  no  thinker,  and  I  yawned : 

*'  *Ah,  well,  I  suppose  that  some  time  the 


A  WELLSIDE  DIALOG  93 

Messiah  is  coming.  When  he  comes  he  will 
explain  everything  to  us.' 

' '  The  rabbi  towered  above  me. 

''  'I  am  he— I  who  speak  to  you!'  he  said. 

''At  this  moment  the  fishermen,  his  com- 
panions, came  up.  I  was  overcome  by  these 
fearful  words,  and  frightened  by  the  sus- 
picious looks  of  those  strangers.  I  forgot  my 
pitcher  and  hurried  back." 

When  she  reached  the  village  gate  she  was 
only  able  to  sob  out  to  the  few  curious  people 
who  were  sitting  in  the  square  this  strange 
story  and  to  repeat : 

''Come— oh,  come— see  a  man— who  told 
me  all— that  ever  I  did.     Who  is  he?" 

Her  neighbors  would  go  a  good  way  to  see 
anybody  who  could  do  that. 

"Rabbi,  will  you  not  eat?"  said  Peter  cold- 
ly, displeased  that  Jesus  should  have  had  any 
conversation  with  such  a  person. 

"I  have  had  meat  to  eat  that  you  do  not 
know  about,"  answered  Jesus  with  a  smile. 

"Who  has  given  him  any  food?"  asked 
John. 

"  It  is  meat  to  me, ' '  said  Jesus  simply,  ' '  to 
do  my  Father's  will."  And  taking  up  the 
woman's  water  pitcher,  he  led  the  way  toward 
the  village.  The  rest  trailed  on  in  discom- 
fiture. 

"Four  months,  you  say?"  he  turned  and 
replied,  as  he  heard  one  of  them  comment  on 
the  lateness  of  the  spring,  "before  harvest 


94  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

comes!  Look!"  He  pointed  to  a  group  of 
people  that  was  pouring  out  of  the  village 
gate.  ' '  Look  on  the  fields.  They  are  whiten- 
ing for  harvest  even  now. ' ' 

Three  days  later  he  left  a  happy  village  be- 
hind him.  And  some  of  her  old  neighbors 
were  overheard  saying  to  the  woman,  *'Now 
we  believe  in  him— but  not  because  of  any- 
thing you  said.  But  we  have  heard  for  our- 
selves and  we  believe  that  He  is  the  Savior 
of  the  world." 

This  story  is  a  sample  of  his  first  campaign. 
He  did  not  wait  for  crowds,  and  he  did  not 
organize  crusaders.  He  started  with  the  com- 
mon people,  anybody  he  happened  to  meet, 
and  he  just  gave  them  all  the  best  he  had. 
His  business  was  helpfulness.  If  he  could  get 
men  to  do  like  him  he  would  have  a  whole 
Kingdom  of  Helpers,  he  would  reap  his  har- 
vest, he  could  save  the  world. 


A   SUMMER   OF    SUNSHINE 

Finding  that  lie  was  becoming  so  popular 
in  Judea  that  the  friends  of  John  were  get- 
ting jealous  of  him,  Jesus  decided  not  to  allow 
himself  to  be  the  slightest  hindrance  to  the 
great  leader,  and  he  at  once  turned  north  to 
Galilee. 

The  Galileans  had  heard  of  his  exploit  at 
the  Passover,  and  exaggerated  stories  of  his 
marvelous  powers  had  reached  them.  These 
patriots,  unlike  the  people  of  the  city,  wel- 
comed him  with  open  arms. 

On  a  day  before  the  Sabbath,  in  early  May, 
he  arrived  at  Nazareth.  The  fishermen  had 
now  all  gone  back  home  and  his  mother  had 
moved  down  to  Capernaum.  As  soon  as  he 
came  into  the  village  he  went  about  to  see  his 
brothers  and  his  old  friends  and  playmates. 
But  he  found  that,  even  during  his  short 
absence,  they  had  changed  toward  him.  No 
longer  did  they  meet  him  with  the  same  frank 
friendship,  and,  while  they  were  evidently  all 
longing  to  watch  him  perform  some  wonder 
in  the  village  square,  they  were  plainly  jeal- 
ous and  suspicious  of  him. 


96  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

He  went  to  church  the  next  morning,  and 
for  the  first  time  he  accepted  the  invitation 
to  ascend  the  platform  and  take  the  roll  of 
the  sacred  writings  in  his  hand  to  read  and 
explain. 

The  women  were  in  the  rear  gallery  behind 
a  screen,  so  that  the  audience  that  was  in 
sight  was  an  audience  of  men.  Some  were 
old  schoolmates,  others,  younger  men,  were 
of  those  who  had  been  down  to  the  Jordan 
and  had  come  back  disgruntled.  There  were 
even  boys  crowded  close  to  the  platform  and 
against  the  wall.  All  awaited  him  with  eager 
curiosity. 

It  had  now  been  nearly  a  year  since  his  at- 
tendance at  the  village  wedding  near  by. 
There  he  had  first  shown  his  generous  kind- 
ness, in  far-oif  Jerusalem  he  had  proclaimed 
himself  as  a  leader,  and  in  the  other  Galilean 
towns,  and  even  in  despised  Samaria  he  had 
lingered.  But  in  Nazareth  he  had  never 
spoken  a  public  word  nor  done  a  deed  of 
power.  Now  surely  he  was  going  to  exhibit 
his  prophetic  might  and  make  Nazareth  the 
center  of  all  his  work. 

It  was  a  warm  springtime  day.  The  doors 
were  opened  so  that  those  who  could  not 
crowd  in  could  hear.  The  blossoms  sent  their 
fragrance  within,  a  grape-vine  shaded  the 
doorway  and  the  house-doves  could  be  heard 
cooing  in  the  eaves.  It  was  a  Sabbath  of  rest 
and  peace. 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  97 

The  Jewish  service  consisted,  like  ours,  of 
praise  and  prayer  and  address.  But  there 
was  no  regular  preacher.  Any  one  might 
teach  and  anybody  else  might  interrupt  by 
question  or  debate. 

Jesus '  text  was  from  Isaiah,  a  chapter  about 
Israel's  coming  Deliverer.  He  read  a  few 
words,  then  closed  the  roll  and  gave  it  to  the 
attendant  and  sat  down  to  speak.  Every  eye 
was  upon  him. 

'* To-day,"  he  began,  ''has  this  Scripture 
been  fulfilled  in  your  hearing. ' ' 

He  went  on  to  show  how,  just  as  the  prophet 
had  described,  he  himself  was  teaching  good 
tidings  to  the  poor,  release  to  captives,  sight 
to  blind  men,  and  freedom  to  everybody. 

''Where  did  he  get  his  book-learning  I" 
asked  one,  half  aloud.  ' '  He  has  had  no  other 
schooling  than  ours. ' ' 

"Yes,"  one  whispered  to  another,  "he  is 
only  the  carpenter,  our  Joseph's  son." 

And  still  another  said,  "We  all  know  who 
Mary,  his  mother,  is,  and  his  brothers  James 
and  Judas  and  Simon." 

"Yes,  and  his  sisters  live  here  now." 

"Listen,"  said  another.  "He  is  going  to 
make  Nazareth  a  glorious  place.  What  works 
of  power  he  has  done  with  his  hands  else- 
where ! ' ' 

Soon  all  forgot  everything  but  the  comfort- 
ing words  he  was  saying  about  the  kingdom 
of  help  and  love  which  was  to  come.    It  was 


98  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

not  preaching.  It  was  conversation.  He  told 
them  apt  stories,  stories  from  their  own  work 
and  play;  at  which  they  smiled  or  looked 
thoughtful;  he  used  the  homely  proverbs 
which  were  their  common  coin  of  speech. 
They  could  understand  every  word  he  said. 

Then  he  took  up  plainly  their  complaint 
because  he  had  removed  his  mother's  home 
to  Capernaum  and  had  done  his  public  work 
in  places  so  far  from  his  bringing  up.  Boldly 
he  answered  that  they  themselves  had  already 
driven  him  to  this  step.  Did  he  not  love 
Nazareth?  Did  he  not  long  to  do  glorious 
deeds  in  her  streets'?  For  was  not  this  the 
place  where  he  had  studied  the  holy  books? 
Was  not  Joseph  sleeping  here  in  the  village 
burying  ground  1 

' '  But, ' '  he  said,  ' '  a  prophet  is  never  want- 
ing honors  except  in  his  own  country  and 
among  his  own  folk. ' '  And  he  reminded  them 
how  even  their  own  Elijah  was  forced  to  leave 
his  own  land  to  work  in  Tyre,  and  Elisha  had 
never  healed  anybody  but  a  foreigner,  and  he 
a  leper. 

A  growl  of  anger  had  been  heard  while  he 
was  saying  these  words,  which,  when  he  began 
to  appeal  to  his  audience  for  witness  to  the 
truth  of  what  he  was  saying,  grew  into  a  roar 
of  rage.  The  disappointed  Nazarenes  could 
stand  this  no  longer.  ''Did  the  carpenter's 
son  think  they  were  less  worthy  than  Assyrian 
lepers  ?   Were  they  to  be  scorned  and  ignored 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  99 

by  such  as  he,  a  son  of  their  own  streets?" 
The  congregation  became  a  mob. 

The  younger  men  were  the  leaders,  the 
older  ones  who  had  been  Jesus'  playmates 
were  so  excited  that  they  did  not  restrain 
them,  and  the  hot-headed  crowd  seized  the 
speaker  and  dragged  him  outdoors  and  up 
past  his  old  home  to  the  hillside  where  he  had 
played  as  a  boy. 

But  when  they  came  to  its  precipice*,  and 
would  have  murdered  him,  he  turned  and 
faced  them.  He  was  not  afraid.  He  did  not 
use  his  power  to  smite  them  dead.  He  looked 
them  through  and  through.  What  happened 
next?  All  they  knew  was  that  they  found 
themselves  in  a  huddled  group  watching  him 
walk  quietly  down  the  hill  and  down  the  path 
to  the  valley,  until  he  was  out  of  sight. 

This  was  the  only  shadow  upon  a  bright 
summer.  Henceforth  he  gave  himself  with 
passionate  love  to  Galilee,  but  Nazareth  knew 
him  no  more. 

He  went  directly  to  Capernaum  to  his 
mother 's  house.  And  now  began  his  cloudless 
days  by  the  lake  shore.  Everybody  loved  him 
here.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  love  that  he  had 
won  as  a  boy  had  followed  down  here  to  the 
lake  to  bless  him  as  a  man. 

The  very  next  morning  he  went  out  to  meet 
his  new  neighbors.  Not  in  the  cool,  quiet 
church  or  the  neat  village  square,  but  down 
by  the  shore,  where  the  smell  of  fish  was 

*  See  Note  4. 


100  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

everywhere  and  where  the  bare-legged  fisher- 
men were  pushing  out  their  stout  boats  and 
the  women  were  cleaning  fish  in  the  shade  of 
those  drawn  up  on  the  sand. 

As  he  began  to  speak  the  good-natured 
crowd  jostled  him,  so  that  he  smiled  and 
paused,  and  laying  his  hand  on  the  rail  of  a 
boat  that  was  grounded  on  the  beach,  he  leapt 
upon  it  and  sat  on  the  stern  seat. 

It  happened  to  be  Simon's,  and  as  he 
glanced  down  and  saw  its  owner  washing  out 
his  nets  he  gave  him  a  friendly  nod,  and  then 
talked  on,  the  boat  rocking  beneath  him  in 
the  blue  ripples  sparkling  in  the  sun. 

When  he  was  through  speaking  he  came 
down  where  Simon  was  and  said,  "Come, 
push  out  into  deep  water  and  you  all  throw 
out  the  nets  for  a  haul." 

' '  We  have  been  hard  at  work  all  night,  sir, ' ' 
said  Simon,  "and  have  not  caught  anything. 
But,  as  you  say  so,  I  will  throw  the  nets  out. ' ' 

Simon  and  Andrew  and  their  father  Jonas 
launched  the  boat,  and  soon  they  enclosed 
such  a  school  of  fish  that  the  nets  began  to 
break.  They  had  to  signal  to  John  and 
James,  their  mates  in  another  boat,  to  come 
and  help  them.  And  they  filled  both  boats  so 
full  of  fish  that  they  were  almost  sinking. 

It  was  only  a  deed  of  kindness,  a  sort  of 
payment  for  the  use  of  his  boat,  but  Simon 
was  overwhelmed  by  the  generosity  of  his 
friend. 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  101 

As  soon  as  he  got  ashore  he  threw  himself 
at  Jesus '  knees  and  exclaimed : 

"Master,  leave  me,  for  I  am  a  wicked 
man ! ' ' 

Jesus  grasped  his  hand  as  he  had  on  the 
first  day  they  met,  and  cried  heartily : 

''Don't  lose  heart!  From  to-day  you  shall 
catch  living  men.  Follow  me  now,"  he  said 
to  the  other  four  young  fishers  who  had  been 
with  him  at  Jerusalem,  ' '  and  I  will  make  you 
fishers  for  men."  As  soon  as  they  had 
brought  their  boats  in  and  hung  up  their  nets, 
ithey  obtained  permission  of  their  parents, 
said  good-by  to  their  friends,  and  followed 
Jesus  everywhere. 

It  was  wonderful  the  way  he  would  win 
strong  men  to  himself.  A  man  would  be  at 
work  in  his  business,  thoroughly  intent  on  his 
own  work  and  his  money.  Suddenly  he  was 
gone.  He  would  be  heard  of  miles  away, 
trudging  over  the  hillpaths  or  camping  in  the 
woods,  tired,  penniless,  but  perfectly  happy. 
And  when  he  was  asked  why  he  went  or  what 
he  was  seeking,  he  would  simply  point  joyous- 
ly to  Jesus.  It  was  He,  the  great  Companion, 
the  Man  with  the  singing  heart,  more  than 
what  he  said  or  did,  that  had  charmed  the 
man  from  all  he  used  to  love. 

One  of  those  who  felt  the  magic  spell  of 
Jesus  has  told  how  he  came  to  follow  him. 
His  story  of  that  great  day  in  his  own  life  is 
also  a  picture  of  the  whole  plan  of  this  new 


102  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Galilean  campaign.  You  have  all  read  his 
written  story,  but  when  he  told  it  aloud  per- 
haps it  was  like  this : 

* '  The  night  before  I  came  to  Jesus,  he,  find- 
ing that  the  crowd  would  not  give  him  time 
even  to  sleep,  had  crossed  the  lake  in  a  boat 
and,  tired  out,  took  his  rest  on  the  hard  wood- 
en bench  in  the  stern. 

''Suddenly  one  of  our  unexpected  storms 
from  the  cold  mountains  above  swept  down 
upon  them.  The  starry  heavens  grew  dark 
in  a  moment,  a  sheet  of  fog  swept  over  them, 
the  waves  rose  and  tossed,  and  whenever  the 
mist  lifted  the  fishermen  saw  the  white  foam 
rush  along  the  tatfrail  and  dash  over,  even  to 
Jesus'  feet.  Their  sail  was  well  furled  and 
they  bent  to  their  huge  oars  to  keep  the  boat 
steady,  but  in  vain.  Helpless  in  the  grip  of 
the  tempest,  they  became  frantic  with  fear. 

''The  nearest  shook  Jesus  by  the  arm  and 
roused  him. 

"  'Wake,  captain!'  he  yelled  hoarsely. 
'We  are  sinking.' 

' '  Jesus  leaped  to  liis  feet. 

"  'Cowards!'  he  shouted.  'Pull  hard! 
Take  heart!' 

"And  in  the  noise  of  the  gale  they  could 
hear  him  shout  as  if  he  would  also  challenge 
even  the  wild  waves. 

' '  Their  courage  came  back,  and  as  the  wind 
dropped  and  the  waters  grew  still,  one  of  the 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  103 

sailors  whispered  to  another,  looking  from  his 
oar  to  the  fearless  face  of  his  captain : 

* '  '  Can  he  give  orders  even  to  the  winds  and 
the  waters  1 ' 

*'At  the  other  side  there  came  out  from  a 
cave-tomb  down  to  the  wharf  to  meet  him  a 
giant  maniac.  He  was  a  most  fearsome  sight. 
He  was  foul  and  naked,  and  upon  his  mighty 
arms  and  legs  were  broken  pieces  of  the 
chains  with  which  men  had  tried  in  vain  to 
hold  him.  Here  he  lived  in  the  rocks,  shouting 
and  yelling  and  gashing  his  body  in  his  peri- 
ods of  rage  with  the  sharp  flint,  and  nobody 
now  ever  dared  come  near  him.  The  fisher- 
men quailed  before  this  fiend  as  he  loomed 
over  them  in  the  moonlight  at  the  landing. 

''But  Jesus  stepped  quietly  out  and  faced 
him. 

''Would  not  the  wild  man  tear  him  in 
pieces  ? 

"No.  He  fell  humbly  at  his  knees  and  em- 
braced them,  crying  out  in  a  shrill,  piteous 
voice : 

"  'What  is  there  between  thee  and  me, 
Jesus  ?  Son  of  God  most  high !  I  adjure  thee, 
torment  me  not.' 

"For  Jesus  was  saying  gently,  'Come  forth, 
thou  foul  spirit.' 

"An  hour  later  some  of  the  simple  shep- 
herds of  the  region  ventured  around  the 
shadowed  crags,  and  there  they  saw  Jesus 


104  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

seated  beside  the  giant,  who  was  now  clothed 
and  in  sound  mind. 

' '  They  were  so  superstitious  that  they  were 
alarmed  at  the  power  Jesus  had  shown  over 
this  mighty  man,  and  they  made  signs  at  him, 
entreating  him  to  leave  their  coast.  As  Jesus 
went  toward  his  boat  to  do  so,  the  healed  giant 
followed  him,  still  talking  reverently  with 
him.  And  when  he  understood  that  Jesus  wa^ 
now  going  away  he  was  heard  by  the  fisher- 
men to  beg  eagerly : 

''  'Let  me  be  with  you,  Jesus.  Let  me,  too, 
be  one  of  those  who  follow  after  you. ' 

''  'Go  back  to  your  own  home,'  said  Jesus 
gently,  'go  to  your  old  friends,  and  tell  them 
what  great  things  God  has  done  for  you.' 

"And  through  all  that  region,  known  as  the 
League  of  the  Ten  Cities,  did  the  giant  tell 
of  the  majesty  of  the  mercy  of  God. 

"Driven  from  this  hostile  shore,  Jesus  and 
his  friends  spent  the  rest  of  the  night  in  the 
tossing  boat  anchored  close  to  the  land. 

"At  earliest  daylight  they  recrossed  the 
lake  to  Capernaum,  and  Jesus  went  to  his 
home.  The  people  were  already  waiting  for 
him. 

"This*  house  where  Jesus  and  Mary  lived 
had  a  flat  roof.  In  the  center  was  a  courtyard, 
and  around  the  second  story  of  this  ran  a 
covered  gallery.  Here  sat  Jesus,  and  spoke 
to  the  people  who  filled  the  gallery  and  the 

*  See  Note  18. 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  105 

upper  rooms  and  the  courtyard  below.  I  was 
among  them.  As  always,  he  began  by  saying, 
'  The  waiting-time  is  over !  The  Kingdom  of 
God  has  come !  Turn  now  and  trust  the  Joy- 
ful Message!' 

^ '  That  morning  a  group  of  young  men  had 
gone  to  the  outskirts  of  the  town  to  make  a 
call  upon  a  friend  of  theirs  who  was  para- 
lyzed. The  unfortunate  fellow  had  no  use  of 
his  limbs  whatever,  and  he  lay  all  day  help- 
less upon  his  couch. 

''While  they  were  going  they  talked  about 
this  Healer  who  was  living  in  the'ir  home 
town,  and  they  were  wishing  that  he  could  be 
brought  to  visit  their  friend.  This  seemed 
presumptuous  to  expect.  For,  like  most  of 
the  people  of  their  time,  they  believed  that 
this  visitation  of  sickness  was  because  of  some 
sin  which  their  friend  had  committed. 

''  'Well,  then,  let's  take  him  to  the  Healer, 
if  the  Healer  can't  be  brought  to  him,'  cried 
the  most  energetic  of  the  quartet. 

' '  They  were  full  of  this  idea  when  they  en- 
tered the  sick  man's  house. 

' '  But  the  sufferer,  discouraged  and  peevish 
because  of  his  complaint,  would  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  plan. 

"  'It  will  do  no  good.  It  would  kill  me  to 
be  lifted,  and  I  should  come  back  worse  off 
than  before,'  he  replied. 

"Then  they  all  argued  with  him,  and  as 
they   discussed   they   grew   more   confident. 


106  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

They  became  insistent.  Finally  they  fairly 
overwhelmed  the  helpless  man  with  their  talk 
and,  still  against  his  will,  they  proceeded  at 
once  to  carry  him  into  the  town. 

' '  He  was  resting  upon  a  light,  narrow  pallet, 
such  as  poor  people  use,  and  it  was  not  dif- 
ficult to  lift  it  by  the  four  corners  with  the 
paralytic  upon  it. 

"With  infinite  care,  not  to  jostle  or  disturb, 
they  broke  step  and  conducted  him  to  the 
home  of  Jesus. 

"Jesus  was  in  the  very  midst  of  his  dis- 
course when  we  heard  a  commotion  below, 
loud  talking  without  and  angry  replies  within. 
Then  there  was  silence. 

"A  little  later  we  could  hear  people 
scrambling  up  the  stairway  that  ran  outside 
the  house  wall,  and  when  they  found  they 
could  not  get  in  even  to  the  crowded  upper 
rooms,  they  kept  clambering  on  up  to  the 
roof.* 

"Pretty  soon  there  was  a  tearing  sound, 
then  we  were  nearly  suffocated  with  dust,  and 
then  there  came  an  opening  to  the  sunlight. 
These  people  were  pulling  off  the  clay  cover 
and  ripping  up  the  round  rails  that  constituted 
the  roof. 

"What  were  they  about? 

"It  was  impossible  for  Jesus  to  speak  or 
for  us  to  listen  in  such  confusion.  But  Jesus 
sat  in  patience,  and  before  long  we  saw  four 

*  See  Note  19. 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  107 

flushed  and  anxious  faces  peering  over  the 
broken  edge  above. 

"  'All  right!'  a  voice  exclaimed.  In  an 
instant  a  mattress  was  gently  lowered  by  two 
ropes,  until  it  touched  the  floor,  we  all  made 
way,  and  the  sick  man  was  laid  before  Jesus. 

''With  all  the  loving  care  of  his  friends  he 
had  been  considerably  shaken  up  by  his  jour- 
ney. He  was  still  more  disturbed  inwardly 
at  the  shock  of  his  removal,  and  that  he 
should  be  thus  unceremoniously  exposed  be- 
fore a  crowd  of  people,  convinced  as  he  was 
that  it  would  amount  to  nothing  but  his  own 
humiliation. 

' '  The  only  persons  who  believed  in  his  cure 
were  those  four  excited  fellows  who  were 
gently  handling  the  ropes  that  had  held  up  the 
pallet  of  straw.  It  was  certainly  an  embar- 
rassing and  vexing  interruption  to  the  sermon. 

' '  But  Jesus  looked  up  and  could  not  forbear 
a  smile  at  the  eager  and  painstaking  trust  of 
the  four  youths.  So  he  turned  to  the  sick 
man,  who  lay  white  and  with  closed  eyes  on 
the  floor,  and  said  gravely  to  him:  'Child, 
your  sins  are  forgiven.' 

This  unexpected  remark  was  very  startling 
to  the  delegates  from  the  Jerusalem  teachers 
of  the  sacred  law,  sent  to  keep  watch  of  Jesus, 
who  sat  close  by,  and  it  set  them  to  buzzing 
among  themselves. 

"  'Well,  which  is  easier,'  said  Jesus,  'to 
say,  "Your  sins  are  forgiven,"  or  "Rise  up 


108  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

and  walk  1 ' '  But  in  order  that  yon  may  know 
that  the  Son  of  Man  has  authority  on  earth 
even  to  forgive  sins,  I  say  to  you,'  he  added, 
turning  again  to  the  palsied  one,  'Rise  and 
roll  up  your  pallet  and  walk  home. ' 

"And  at  once  the  man  got  up !  He  took  up 
what  he  had  been  lying  on  and,  when  he  found 
that  he  could  really  walk,  he  went  out,  thank- 
ing Jesus  and  praising  God,  to  his  own  house. 

* '  The  four  young  men  on  the  roof  were  ap- 
parently even  more  grateful  and  happy  than 
he,  and  the  words  of  praise  with  which  Jesus 
continued  his  address  were  a  sufficient  reward 
to  them  for  their  unselfish  faith. 

' '  At  noon  people  in  the  East  generally  take 
a  nap,  but  Jesus,  unlike  his  countrymen,  often 
kept  busy  all  day. 

*'He  left  his  home  later— was  it  to  get  lum- 
ber to  make  the  needed  repairs?— and  went 
down  to  the  beach.  There  by  the  gate  that 
covered  the  highway  between  Damascus  and 
the  capital  I  sat  at  my  tax-collecting  booth, 
figuring  up  my  accounts. 

"You  all  know  what  is  thought  of  men  of 
my  class.  Partly  because  we  are  often  dis- 
honest, partly  because  we  represent  the  hated 
foreigners,  we  are  ranked  with  assassins  and 
highway  robbers. 

*  *  '  Matthew,  follow  me, '  said  Jesus. 

"Without  a  word,  I  got  up  and  followed 
him,  leaving  my  business  forever. 

"I  was  so  touched  at  being  thus  honored 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  109 

that  I  at  once  invited  Jesus  to  my  house  to 
dinner. 

''It  was  a  thoughtless  and  hasty  idea  of 
mine.  For  it  was  one  thing  to  talk  in  the 
street  with  a  man  who  had  been  a  publican 
and  it  was  another  thing  to  go  to  his  home 
and  be  his  guest. 

' '  But  my  Master  never  flinched.  He  stood 
by  me. 

"He  turned  to  some  curious  passers  who 
overheard. 

"  'It  isn't  the  strong  and  well  that  need  a 
doctor,'  he  said  to  them  boldly.  'It  is  those 
that  are  sick.  It  is  not  the  pious,  but  the  god- 
less that  I  have  come  to  win. '  ' ' 

Matthew  was  not  only  an  educated  man,  but 
he  was  a  thoughtful  one.  He  seems  always 
to  be  listening,  seldom  speaking.  And  it  was 
to  no  little  advantage  that  he  listened  and  re- 
membered so  well.  For  when  Jesus  was  gone 
and  the  world  was  eager  not  to  forget  his 
words,  Matthew,  the  only  educated  man 
among  Jesus'  friends,  was  one  of  the  first, 
not  only  to  tell,  but  to  write  down  the  story 
of  his  life. 

In  the  midst  of  his  dinner  Jesus  was  inter- 
rupted again.  A  village  councillor  rushed  in 
through  the  open  door,  sobbing  with  grief. 

* '  0  Master ! "  he  cried.  ' '  My  little  daughter 
is  even  now  dead.  But  come,  place  your  hand 
upon  her  and  she  will  be  restored  to  life. ' ' 

Jesus  got  up  and  hastened  after  him. 


110  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

The  crowd  followed. 

On  the  way  a  poor  woman  who  was  ill 
pressed  her  lips  to  the  fluttering  fringe  of  his 
garment  and  was  cured. 

In  the  street  in  front  of  the  ruler's  house 
the  paid  mourners  were  already  chanting  the 
sorrow  of  the  house  to  the  loud  strains  of 
flutes. 

Within  were  the  wailing  mother  and  sisters. 

A  messenger  met  them  to  say  that  the  child 
had  just  breathed  her  last.  Why  trouble  the 
teacher  more? 

''Be  of  good  heart,"  whispered  Jesus  with 
his  hand  in  the  councillor's.  ''Only  have 
faith." 

At  the  door  he  hushed  the  singers  to  si- 
lence. 

"Why  all  this  confusion?"  he  said  cheerily. 
"The  little  one  is  not  dead.  She  is  only 
asleep." 

Shrilly  they  laughed  him  to  scorn. 

He  beckoned  to  Simon,  John  and  James  to 
follow  him,  and  sent  the  rest  away. 

Together  with  the  father  and  mother  they 
came  into  the  sick-room. 

He  lifted  the  white  sheet  from  the  closed 
eyes  and  raven  hair.  He  took  the  tiny,  cold 
hand  in  his. 

"Little  lassie!"  he  called,  "Z  am  speaking 
to  you.    It  is  time  to  get  up. ' ' 

And  opening  her  eyes  as  if  waking  in  the 


A  SUMMER  OF  SUNSHINE  111 

morning,  she  smiled  in  the  face  of  the  teacher 
she  loved  and  flew  to  her  mother's  arms. 

Jesus  insisted  that  not  a  word  of  this  should 
go  farther,  and  then  told  the  happy  mother 
to  be  sure  and  give  her  a  good  supper. 

Finally,  evening  came.  The  people  went 
up  on  their  house  roofs  and  rested  in  the  cool- 
ness after  the  sultry  day.  It  was  pleasant  to 
hear,  borne  by  the  breeze,  the  sound  of  the 
surf  and  the  songs  of  the  fishers  as  they  sailed 
home  from  the  deep.  In  the  usually  dark  and 
silent  streets  there  were  flashings  of  lanterns, 
the  soft  patter  of  many  sandals  and  the  sound 
of  many  voices. 

For  Jesus  was  sitting  in  his  house  door,  and 
people  came  crowding  to  him  from  other 
places,  lame  and  blind  and  epileptic.  He  told 
them  also  about  the  kingdom  as  he  helped 
them  all.  In  this  work  he  was  busy  until  late 
that  night. 

This  was  the  way  he  planned  to  spend  his 
time  in  Galilee. 

To  be  to  men  a  Friend,  as  God  is  our 
Friend,  was  his  motto. 

If  he  could  help  by  teaching,  he  would  do 
that.  If  he  could  help  by  healing,  then  he 
would  do  that.  For,  indeed,  his  healing  was 
only  another  way  of  teaching  God's  love. 

So  every  day  he  gave  his  very  best.  What- 
ever he  determined  to  do,  even  if  it  seemed 
an  impossible  thing,  he  did  it  with  all  his 
might. 


112  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

And  everywhere  he  was  trying  to  find 
others  who  would  love  God  enough  and  men 
enough  to  follow  him  and  try  to  help  do  what 
he  was  doing. 

Soon  he  began  to  think  of  these  friends,  as 
they  joined  him  one  by  one,  as  a  sort  of  Fam- 
ily of  Brothers.  His  own  brothers,  now 
young  men,  were  jealous  of  him,  and,  forget- 
ting his  patient  care  of  them  in  their  boyhood, 
with  the  rest  of  the  Nazareth  people,  had 
turned  against  him. 

At  times  they  pretended  to  think  he  was 
crazy,  and  talked  of  having  him  shut  up. 
Again  they  slandered  him  because,  they  said, 
he  was  keeping  bad  company. 

One  day  they  came  with  his  mother,  for  we 
know  not  what  mean  purpose. 

Somebody  in  the  crowd  said,  "Sir,  your 
mother  and  your  brothers  are  trying  to  get 
a  chance  to  speak  to  jovl.  ' ' 

AVhat  could  he  do?  Would  he  expose  their 
meanness  in  public?  No,  he  must  be  true  to 
them,  even  if  they  were  not  true  to  him.  Be- 
sides, his  mother  was  there,  and  tho  she  might 
be  deceived,  she  meant  him  nothing  but  good. 

He  laid  his  hand  on  the  speaker 's  shoulder 
and  said  to  him  fondly,  as  he  swept  the  other 
hand  over  the  whole  circle:  "^Vho  is  a 
mother  to  me  and  who  are  brothers  of  mine  ? 
Here  are  my  mother  and  my  brothers !  These 
that  listen  to  God's  word  and  do  it." 


From  (he  paiiitiiio;  h\-  Alljei  t  ZimnieiiiKuiii 

CHRIST    HEALING    THE    SICK 


XI 
A  FAMILY   OF  BROTHERS 

Whom  should  lie  choose? 

There  is  a  saddle-shaped  mountain*  about 
ten  miles  southwest  of  Capernaum,  where 
Jesus  was  fond  of  going  whenever  he  could 
get  a  chance  to  be  alone.  Here  climbing  up  in 
the  cool  evening,  he  could  gather  apples  on 
the  slope,  drink  from  the  brooklet  that  dashed 
down  the  side,  and  watch  the  birds  fly  home 
to  their  nests.  After  the  sun  had  gone  down 
into  the  great  sea,  he  sat  wrapped  in  his  cloak, 
in  a  shelter  on  the  eastern  summit,  and  looked 
down  on  the  quiet  lake,  whose  waters  and  vil- 
lages were  his  parish. 

Here  he  planned  how  he  could  help  this  one 
and  that  one,  how  he  might  most  wisely  an- 
swer the  hostile  questions  that  the  doctors 
from  Jerusalem  were  beginning  to  send  com- 
mittees to  ask  him,  how  he  could  better  build 
his  kingdom.  Then  for  a  long  time  he  would 
lift  his  heart  into  the  atmosphere  of  heaven 
and,  having  received  from  God  peace  and  wis- 
dom, would  fall  asleep. 

But  this  summer  night  he  could  not  sleep. 

*  See  Note  20. 


114  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

All  night  long  lie  was  thinking  over  the  names 
of  the  picked  men  of  Galilee.  He  selected 
eleven. 

And  who  should  there  be  from  Judea  and 
Jerusalem?  You  know  how  little  came  of 
those  busy  weeks  in  that  part  of  the  country 
when  he  was  helping  John.  The  Judeans  also 
despised  the  men  of  Galilee.  Yet  there  must 
be  twelve  and  at  least  one  from  Judea  or  else 
the  new  brotherhood  would  not  stand  for  the 
whole  nation,  the  Twelve  Tribes. 

A  man  had  lately  joined  him  who  came  to 
Capernaum  clear  from  the  southern  border 
of  the  country.  He  was  a  business  man,  and 
he  had  said  to  Jesus  earnestly:  "Sir,  /  will 
follow  you  wherever  you  go." 

He  was  keen,  ambitious,  full  of  enthusiasm. 
Jesus  put  Judas  down  as  the  twelfth  and  last. 

And  now  as  early  morning  began  to  redden 
in  the  east  he  washed  his  face  in  the  cool 
brook  and  ate  his  frugal  breakfast  of  bread 
and  broiled  fish.  Even  while  he  was  eating  he 
could  see  a  long  line  of  people  filing  toward 
him  across  the  valley  below  from  the  shore, 
and  before  the  sun  was  high  their  bright- 
colored  garments  dotted  the  hillside  like  blos- 
soms. 

When  they  had  all  come  together  and  had 
sat  down,  Jesus  called  the  young  men  whom 
he  had  chosen,  and  one  by  one  they  came  and 
stood  around  him. 

* '  Simon,  the  Rock-Man. ' ' 


A  FAMILY  OF  BROTHERS  115 

The  proud  face  of  the  fisherman  glowed  to 
hear  himself  called  first. 

''Here,  sir." 

''James  and  John,  the  Thunderers." 

This  was  Jesus'  nicknames  for  the  two 
brothers,  because  they  were  so  quick-tem- 
pered. 

"Andrew." 

This  was  Peter 's  brother. 

They  were  all  neighbors.  Most  of  them 
were  old-time  friends.  At  least  four  of  therii 
were  Jesus'  own  cousins.  There  were  three 
pair  of  brothers.  So  they  were  twined  and 
intertwined  together  by  ties  of  blood  and 
neighborhood  and  clan— all  but  Judas  of 
Kerioth,  the  Judean. 

There  was  applause  from  the  company, 
varying  according  to  the  popularity  of  each, 
as  one  followed  another  to  the  side  of  Jesus. 
They  were  proud  to  think  that  the  captains 
of  their  deliverer 's  new  army  were  all  but  one 
to  be  Galileans. 

Wlien  they  had  all  been  called,  Jesus  laid 
his  hands  upon  each  one  and  kissed  him  on 
the  cheek,  while  the  multitude  bowed  in 
prayer. 

Then  he  sat  down,  his  twelve  friends  close 
to  him,  and  all  the  rest  came  near  to  hear 
what  he  would  say. 

Do  you  remember  how  the  great  chieftain 
Moses  once  went  up  on  a  barren  mountain 


116  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

and  amidst  its  wild  thunder  tempests  heard 
the  law  of  duty? 

The  people  must  have  thought  of  that  day 
as  they  sat  on  this  grassy  hill  together  and 
heard  the  law  of  love. 

While  they  were  settling  down  to  listen,  a 
wild  figure  crept  up  stealthily  behind  them 
and  crouched  as  near  as  he  dared,  close  to  a 
rock. 

He  was  dressed  in  a  long,  tattered  and 
dirty  cloak,  a  soiled  cloth  was  across  his 
mouth,  and  his  hair  was  hanging  over  his 
face,  which  was  blotched  and  swollen.  He 
was  a  leper.*  Once  he  had  been  as  strong 
and  happy  as  other  men,  but  suddenly  this 
terrible  disease  had  appeared  like  a  wound 
upon  his  arm  and  then  had  spread  to  his 
whole  body.  He  was  driven  forth  from 
among  men  and  he  lived  in  empty  tombs  in 
the  rocks.  His  wife  left  his  food  at  the  cave 
door  every  morning,  but  she  could  never  come 
near  him  and  he  never  drank  from  any  well 
that  touched  the  lips  of  man.  His  was  a  hope- 
less, living  death. 

He  leaned  over  eagerly  and  bent  his  ear  to 
hear  what  Jesus  would  say. 

The  subject  of  his  talk  was  suggested  by  the 
joyous  faces  of  the  Twelve:  "Who  the 
Happy  Are. ' ' 

He  said :    ' '  Happy  are  the  people  who  are 

*  See  Note  17. 


A  FAMILY  OF  BROTHERS  117 

teachable.  They  shall  have  the  kingdom  of 
heaven. 

' '  Happy  are  the  people  who  sorrow.  They 
will  have  comforting. 

' '  Happy  are  the  gentle.  They  shall  inherit 
the  earth." 

And  so  he  went  on  unto  the  close  of  those 
shining  words  which  we  call  the  Beatitudes,  or 
' '  the  Blessings, ' '  closing  by  saying,  especially 
to  the  Twelve, 

''Yes,  you  are  happy  ones,  whenever  peo- 
ple abuse  you  and  persecute  you  and  say 
everything  bad  to  you— untruly,  and  on  my 
account.  Be  happy !  Be  glad !  Because  your 
repajanent  above  will  be  exceeding  great," 

One  by  one  Jesus  taught  these  sentences 
to  his  listeners,  who  thought  them  very 
strange.  His  way  to  happiness  seemed  a  hard 
one. 

But  over  behind  the  rock  the  poor  leper  was 
shedding  tears  of  gladness.  It  was  such  as 
he  who  could  realize  what  Jesus  meant. 

When  the  lesson  was  over,  all  the  people 
began  to  stir  about.  The  Twelve,  who  were 
hereafter  known  by  him  as  "Disciples,"  or 
Learners,  and  "Apostles,"  or  Messengers, 
led  the  way  down  the  steep  path. 

As  they  turned  a  corner  they  saw  a  figure 
crouching  by  the  way. 

A  horrible,  broken  voice  moaned,  "Un- 
clean !    Unclean ! ' ' 

It  was  the  leper. 


118  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

He  was  obliged  by  law  to  warn  people  of 
his  presence.  The  Twelve  stepped  nimbly 
over  on  the  grass  to  go  around  him.  But 
Jesus  saw  that  his  being  in  the  pathway  meant 
that  he  was  waiting  for  him. 

Jesus  went  clear  up  to  him. 

''My  son,"  he  said  kindly,  ''what  would 
you  like  of  me?" 

' '  Sir, ' '  answered  the  leper  in  a  whisper, ' '  if 
you  are  willing,  you  are  able  to  heal  me. ' ' 

Jesus  was  touched  with  pity  at  the  wretch- 
edness of  the  sufferer.  The  Twelve  were  hor- 
rified to  see  Jesus  put  his  hands  on  the  leper 's 
shoulders  and  cry  out,  "I  will!  Be  thou 
clean. ' ' 

Such  acts  as  these  perplexed  everyone. 
After  touching  such  men  Jesus  was  always 
obliged  to  remain  in  quarantine  for  several 
days.  Nobody  could  understand  why  he  did 
not  cure  the  wretches  from  a  distance.  But 
to  him  it  seemed  that  such  people,  who  were 
entirely  forsaken  and  abhorred  by  all  men, 
could  not  feel  that  God  had  come  near  them 
in  any  other  way  quite  so  well  as  to  have  the 
touch  of  the  hand  of  a  friend. 

After  this  hilltop  talk  the  Twelve  lived  with 
Jesus.  James  and  John  had  little  opportun- 
ity^ to  fish  any  more,  and  they  gave  their  fish- 
ing boats  over  to  their  father,  Simon  and 
Andrew  used  theirs  as  a  sort  of  ferry  for 
Jesus  in  his  tours  about  the  lake,  Matthew  and 
Judas  had  left  their  account  books  to  their 


A  FAMILY  OF  BROTHERS  119 

successors  and,  instead,  Judas  was  made 
treasurer  of  the  small  savings  of  the  Twelve. 

Fancy  one  of  the  Twelve  describing  those 
days  later : 

^'Sometimes  we  all  went  together,  Jesus 
walking  ahead  with  Simon  Peter  or  John  or 
James,  and  the  rest  of  us  following  along  the 
footpath  behind.  In  such  a  case  we  shared 
together  the  pot-luck  of  the  day,  sometime^ 
buying  food,  sometimes  catching  it  with  hook 
or  net,  oftener  being  the  guests  of  various 
people,  who  were  glad  to  have  such  a  noted 
rabbi  as  their  guest.  Jesus  had  one  singular 
rule:  He  never  refused  an  invitation.  It 
might  be  a  nobleman,  a  doctor  of  laws,  or  a 
man  or  woman  who  was  very  poor — never 
mind;  if  that  person  wanted  Jesus,  Jesus 
wanted  him.  He  was  even  at  times  the  guest 
of  thieves  and  villains. 

''He  was  not  always  teaching  the  people. 
Sometimes  he  would  rest  for  several  days  in 
some  quiet  nook  beside  the  lake  and  engage 
in  friendly  talk  with  us,  or  help  us  discuss  the 
next  week's  work.  Often  he  would  change 
his  plans  entirely  when  some  needy  person 
called  on  him  for  help,  or,  again,  he  would 
lead  us  suddenly,  without  any  apparent  cause, 
to  some  far-off,  lonely  village,  like  Nain,*  or 
Cana,  where  it  would  always  strangely  turn 
out  that  somebody  was  in  sore  trouble. 

''There  was  also  a  company  of  good  women 

♦See  Note  21. 


120  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

down  by  the  lake,  including  the  wife  of  the 
king's  butler,  the  mother  of  the  little  girl 
whom  he  had  healed  and  one  Mary  of  Mag- 
dala,  a  noblewoman  whom  he  had  cured  of 
insanity,  who  supplied  our  company  with  food 
and  mended  our  clothes.  When  the  weather 
was  pleasant  and  the  distances  were  not  too 
great,  some  of  our  kinswomen,  such  as  Simon 
Peter's  wife,  and  Salome,  the  mother  of  John 
and  James,  and  Mary,  the  mother  of  Jude 
and  the  other  James,  would  walk  with  us,  and 
at  times  young  people  would  follow  along. 
For  they  liked  to  hear  his  stories,  and  he  was 
read)'',  as  the  teachers  of  the  law  had  been 
when  he  was  a  boy,  to  answer  their  questions. 

*'We  began  now  also  to  go  out  in  pairs. 
This  matter  Jesus  managed  with  much  skill. 
He  sent  us  two  by  two,  so  that  we  might  cheer 
each  other  up  and  so  that  one  might  succeed 
if  the  other  failed.  The  three  pairs  of  broth- 
ers he  sent  together.  To  doubtful  Thomas  he 
gave  as  a  helper  reliable  Matthew,  and  he 
gave  to  Judas  of  Kerioth,  or  Iscariot,  to 
strengthen  his  loyalt^^  Simon  the  Zealot,  a 
member  of  a  hot-headed  part^^  that  was  work- 
ing for  a  bloody  revolution. 

'*  'Don't  you  go  to  foreigners.  Don't  go 
into  Samaria.  Just  go  to  the  lost  sheep  of 
Israel's  fold,'  he  said  to  us. 

^'  'Remember,  I  am  sending  you  out  like 
sheep  amongst  wolves.  They  may  bring  you 
into  court  and  flog  you.    Every  man  may  hate 


A  FAMILY  OF  BROTHERS  121 

you.  But  those  who  persevere  to  the  end  will 
succeed.  And  before  you  have  gone  through 
the  towns  of  Israel  I  shall  come  to  meet  you. ' 

'*So  we  started.  We  went  in  light  march- 
ing order.  No  extra  shoes  or  overcoats,  not 
even  a  walking-stick.  When  we  came  to  a 
town  we  inquired  for  a  God-fearing  man,  en- 
gaged hospitality  with  him  and  lodged  at  his 
house  until  we  left  town.  If  a  man  would  not 
take  us  in  or  the  people  of  a  village  would 
not  listen  to  us,  we  quietly  went  to  the  next. 
We  said  to  everybody,  ^  The  Kingdom  is  draw- 
ing near!'  We  told  people  everywhere  the 
stories  we  had  heard  Jesus  tell,  we  taught  the 
Blessings  to  those  who  would  listen,  and  we 
anointed  sick  folk  with  oil  and  prayed  beside 
them,  as  Jesus  had  showed  us  how  to  do. 

' '  It  was  quite  different  to  try  to  interest  or 
attract  strangers  when  Jesus  was  not  present. 
It  was  winter  when  we  started.  We  waded 
through  the  snows  and  faced  the  fierce  winds 
of  the  highlands.  We  plodded  through  the 
thick  mud  of  Esdraelon.  We  were  often  hun- 
gry, shelterless,  abused.  But  we  kept  on,  tell- 
ing the  Good  News  and  comforting  those  who 
were  in  trouble,  because  the  Master  had  told 
us  to  do  so  and  because  we  hoped  that  in  some 
way,  we  did  not  know  how,  all  this  was  going 
to  help  bring  in  the  Kingdom. 

''And  it  all  came  out  just  as  Jesus  had  said. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  we  were  not  arrested  on 
this  journey.     Whenever  one  of  us  was  in 


122  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

perplexity,  Jesus  would  manage  to  be  near. 
Often  we  all  came  back  to  him  to  tell  our  ad- 
ventures. And  when  it  was  all  over  we  saw 
that  it  had  been  the  happiest  springtime  of 
our  lives,  for  we  had  been  helping  our  people 
to  love  our  Hero  and  our  Friend." 


XII 
THE  MARTYRED   HERO 

While  these  sunny  days  are  passing,  we 
must  not  forget  John  the  prophet. 

In  the  Eoman  king's  stone  prison  on  those 
far-off  crags  east  of  the  Dead  Sea  his  heart 
was  breaking. 

The  way  of  his  imprisonment  was  this : 

The  whole  family  of  these  kings,  the  He- 
rods,  was  a  bad  lot.  This  especial  one,  Herod 
Antipas,  was  both  weak  and  wicked.  He  had 
deserted  his  wife  and  stolen  off  with  He- 
rodias,  the  wife  of  his  brother,  who  was  also 
his  niece. 

John  never  minced  matters.  When  people 
asked  him  what  he  thought  of  this  adulterous 
act,  he  said, ' '  It  is  a  sin  for  him  to  have  her ! ' ' 
Herodias  heard  of  what  he  had  been  saying, 
and  she  persuaded  her  husband  that  John  was 
getting  ready  to  start  revolt  and  that  he  would 
be  safer  in  jail. 

The  king  was  very  anxious  to  meet  his  fa- 
mous prisoner,  and  when  he  saw  the  gigantic 
hermit  he  was  much  taken  with  him. 

Night  after  night,  when  the  noisy  revelries 
of  the  palace  were  still,  he  called  him  into  his 


124  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

council  room  and  had  long  talks  with  him,  and 
it  became  a  sort  of  dreary  comfort  to  John  to 
find  that  the  king  often  accepted  his  advice. 

But  the  news  that  came  to  John  of  the  do- 
ings of  Jesus  perplexed  and  discouraged  him, 
and  the  thought  of  his  own  helplessness  made 
him  pace  his  cell  as  a  lion  does  his  cage. 

<<"Why  doesn't  Jesus  announce  the  king- 
dom! Why  doesn't  he  gather  an  army  to  my 
rescue?  Why  does  he  forsake  Judea  and 
spend  his  time  at  ease  among  those  worthless 
Galileans?    Is  he  really  the  Christ,  anyway?" 

John  was  allowed  to  have  a  few  visitors, 
and  one  day  when  two  of  his  old  followers 
were  with  him,  he  ordered  them  to  go  to  Jesus 
and  ask  him  what  he  was  about. 

When  they  found  Jesus,  the  contrast  be- 
tween John's  prison  cell  and  the  freedom  and 
joy  that  accompanied  Jesus  was  surely  start- 
ling. They  determined  to  stay  with  him  for 
a  few  days,  so  as  to  report  all  he  did. 

One  occurrence  especially  impressed  them. 

Jesus  and  his  friends  were  invited  to  a 
dinner  at  the  house  of  a  man  named  Simon, 
who  was  a  member  of  a  sect  of  stern  Puritans, 
who  called  themselves  Separatists  or  Phari- 
sees. These  men,  like  the  law  teachers,  were 
getting  more  and  more  suspicious  of  Jesus. 

The  dinner  was  an  elaborate  one,  but  Jesus 
had  been  invited  as  an  exhibit  for  Simon's 
guests,  and  Simon  offered  him  none  of  the 


THE  MARTYRED  HERO  125 

customary  courtesies.  More  than  that,  he 
tried  to  discredit  him. 

It  was  a  Roman  custom  to  send  female 
slaves  around  the  room  to  anoint  the  hair  and 
feet  of  the  guests  as  they  reclined  on  the  long 
couches. 

These  slaves  were  living  lives  of  shame. 
"If  Jesus  is  a  real  prophet,"  thought  Simon 
to  himself,  ' '  he  will  know  what  kind  of  a  per- 
son she  is,  and  he  will  not  allow  her  to  touch 
him.  If  he  does  allow  her,  we  shall  be  able 
to  declare  that  he  is  no  prophet. ' ' 

The  woman  went  quietly  about  her  task  as 
the  meal  went  on.  When  she  came  to  Jesus 
and  knelt  down  by  his  feet,  it  came  over  her 
that  she  was  touching  the  body  of  one  who 
had  never  known  a  stain  of  sin.  Her  heart 
was  broken  with  grief.  She  kept  on  at  the 
task,  but  Jesus  could  feel  her  tears  falling 
silently  upon  his  feet. 

The  Pharisee  meantime  was  chuckling  and 
nudging  those  about  him  in  triumph. 

''Simon,"  said  Jesus  at  length  from  the 
foot  of  the  table,  "I  would  like  to  speak  to 
you. ' ' 

' '  Pray  do.  Rabbi, ' '  said  Simon  condescend- 
ingly. 

"Once  there  were  two  people  who  were  in 
debt  to  a  money-lender.  One  owed  twelve 
million  dollars,  the  other  seventeen.  As  they 
could  neither  of  them  pay  him,  he  forgave 
them  both  their  debts.     AVliich  of  them,  do 


126  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

you  suppose,  will  feel  the  greater  love  for 
liimr' 

'*Wliy,"  said  Simon,  puzzled,  ''I  would 
think  the  one  to  whom  he  forgave  the  greater 
debt." 

' '  Precisely, ' '  answered  Jesus. 

Then  turning  gently  toward  the  woman  he 
continued : 

"You  see  this  woman  here.  I  came  into 
your  house.  You  did  not  give  me  any  water 
for  my  feet,  but  she  has  wet  them  with  her 
tears  and  dried  them  with  her  hair.  No  kiss 
of  greeting  did  you  give  me,  but  she,  since  I 
sat  here,  has  not  ceased  to  kiss  my  feet.  You 
did  not  sprinkle  even  my  head  with  oil,  but 
she  with  perfume  has  covered  my  feet. ' ' 

"And,"  he  said,  smiling  upon  her,  "you 
may  be  sure  she  is  greatly  forgiven,  because 
she  has  loved  greatly."  And  as  she  went 
away,  he  added,  * '  My  blessing  go  with  you. ' ' 

"But,  Simon,"  he  added  sternly,  "those 
have  been  forgiven  little  who  love  but  little." 

And  rising  up,  he  left  Simon  and  his  com- 
panions, saying  in  frightened  wonder, 

"Wlio  is  He— this  One  who  is  even  forgiv- 
ing sins?" 

Then  the  stern  friends  of  John,  who  had 
been  waiting  for  him  and  who  were  naturally 
rather  angry  that  he  should  seem  to  be  loung- 
ing at  a  feast  while  their  leader  was  in  jail, 
stopped  him. 

"John  the  Baptizer  has  sent  us  to  you,  sir, 


THE  MARTYRED  HERO  127 

to  ask:  'Are  you  the  Coming  One  after  all, 
or  are  we  to  look  for  someone  else  ? '  " 

Jesus  made  no  reply  at  once.  The  people 
who  were  in  trouble  were  already  crowding 
the  strangers  away.  After  an  hour,  when  he 
had  helped  them  all,  he  came  over  to  where 
John 's  bewildered  friends  were  standing. 

''Go  back  to  John  and  report  to  him  what 
you  have  just  noticed  and  heard— the  blind 
are  regaining  their  sight,  the  lame  are  walk- 
ing, the  lepers  are  being  healed,  and  the  poor 
have  the  Glad  Message  told  to  them.  And 
tell  John :  Happy  is  the  man  who  will  keep 
faith  with  me." 

"What  do  you  think  of  John?"  asked  one 
of  the  fishermen  of  Jesus  when  these  dele- 
gates had  gone. 

' '  What  did  you  go  into  the  desert  to  see  ? 

"  'A  reed  waving  in  the  wind?' 

"If  not,  what  did  you  go  out  to  see? 

"A  man  clad  in  rich  clothing?  Ah,  but 
those  live  in  kings'  palaces.  (Not  in  kings' 
dungeons.) 

"What  then  did  you  go  to  see? 

"  'A  prophet!'  you  say. 

"Yes,  indeed !  more  than  a  prophet.  There 
is  no  one  born  of  woman  greater  than  John! 

"And  yet,"  he  added  to  those  who  heard 
this  enthusiastic  eulogy.  "When  I  think  of 
what  you  are  hearing  and  seeing,  a  little  boy 
in  heaven's  kingdom  seems  to  me  greater  than 
he." 


128  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OP  CHRIST 

We  do  not  know  what  John  said  when  he 
received  Jesus'  message.  It  was  plain  what 
Jesus'  words  meant.  *'If  I  am  doing  God's 
work,  am  I  not  doing  his  will?  What  matter 
the  results  ! ' '  His  own  noble  heart  answered 
to  that  appeal,  for  had  he  not  done  the  right, 
careless  of  the  result!  And  when  he  listened 
to  that  final  challenge,  ^ '  Happy  is  he  who  will 
keep  faith  with  me,"  his  figure  straightened 
and  his  eyes  glowed  with  resolve. 

He  might  not  fully  understand  Jesus,  but 
he  could  be  true  to  him. 

You  will  read  far  in  your  histories  before 
you  will  find  a  more  heroic  figure  than  his. 
Day  by  day  his  mighty  brain  was  gaining 
dominion  over  the  weak  mind  of  the  besotted 
king.  If  he  would  consent  to  ignore  the  sin 
with  Herodias,  power,  freedom,  glory  were 
his.  Perhaps  he  would  become  prime  minis- 
ter, even  king.  He  did  not  need  even  to  alter 
his  own  opinion.  All  he  had  to  do  was  to 
keep  silent  on  the  subject. 

But  he  would  not  do  it.  He  would  not 
honor  the  woman  with  a  look  when  she  swept 
through  the  palace  corridors,  and  if  the  king 
ever  mentioned  her  name  he  would  roar  out 
at  once,  ' '  It  is  a  sin  for  you  to  have  her ! ' ' 

This— for  he  knew  her  cruel  fury— meant 
death. 

She  watched  like  a  tigress  for  the  hour 
when  she  could  crush  him. 

Never  were  the  gayeties  at  that  old  stone 


THE  MARTYRED  HERO  129 

palace  so  constant  as  now.  Each  day  had  a 
new  form  of  pleasure,  which  lasted  late  into 
the  night.  The  king,  sated  or  tired,  almost 
forgot  his  captive. 

A  holiday  had  closed  with  an  all-night  ban- 
quet. The  king  and  his  guests  were  heavy 
with  wine.  The  entertainment  had  already 
been  varied  and  entrancing.  The  hour  was 
late. 

Suddenly  the  curtains  parted  at  the  end  of 
the  room,  opposite  the  throne.  The  music 
crashed  and  then  was  still. 

A  little  girl  was  standing  alone  in  the  open 
space,  graceful,  slender,  shy.  It  was  the 
queen's  only  child. 

The  guests,  among  whom  were  some  Jewish 
chieftains  from  Galilee,  were  flattered  by  this 
unusual  honor  done  them,  and  hailed  her  with 
a  cheer. 

The  torches  were  brought  into  a  half -circle 
about  her,  and  she  began  to  dance. 

She  was  full  of  health  and  life  and  as  grace- 
ful as  a  fawn.  Her  Roman  teacher  would 
have  been  proud  of  her.  They  had  seen  hired 
women  dancers  already  that  night,  but  to 
watch  this  little  innocent  was  like  coming  sud- 
denly upon  some  wild  creature  in  the  woods  at 
play. 

As  he  saw  how  she  was  pleasing  his  guests, 
the  king  looked  at  her  with  proud  love.  When 
she  finished  amid  a  storm  of  applause,  he 
called  her,  and  she  ran  to  his  arms. 


130  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

* '  What  present  must  I  give  you,  little  one  1 ' ' 
he  said  fondly.  ' '  Name  it  now  and  you  shall 
have  it,  if  it  be  even  a  share  of  the  kingdom. ' ' 

'  *  Let  me  ask  mother, ' '  she  answered  joyous- 
ly, and  she  ran  out. 

Her  mother  had  been  all  the  time  just  be- 
hind the  curtains. 

There  was  a  moment's  waiting.  Then  the 
mother  came  in  leading  her  daughter.  Evi- 
dently the  little  girl  did  not  want  that  for 
which  her  mother  had  ordered  her  to  ask. 

But  the  mother  insisted. 

' '  Give  me, ' '  at  last  she  said  almost  sobbing, 
"the  head— of— John— here— at  once,  on  a 
silver  tray." 

Hideous  boon! 

The  great  room  grew  still. 

The  king  was  sobered.  The  horrible  woman 
had  tricked  him. 

Should  he  rise  and  disown  the  thoughtless, 
fatal  promise  ? 

But  she  held  him  with  her  pitiless  eyes. 
The  company  was  watching. 

She  was  the  stronger. 

He  shook  himself,  gave  a  hoarse  laugh  of 
shame,  and  made  a  sign  to  his  executioner. 

In  a  trice  the  ghastly  head,  its  long  hair 
dripping  with  blood,  glowered  on  the  silver 
tray,  and  was  placed  by  a  kneeling  slave  be- 
fore the  shrinking,  frightened  child. 

Herod  was  never  again  the  same  man. 

The  gray  stone  palace  seemed  ever  haunted 


THE  MARTYRED  HERO  131 

by  the  ghost  of  John  and  it  was  soon  deserted. 
When  he  heard  of  Jesus  in  the  far  north  mov- 
ing here  and  there  with  what  seemed  super- 
natural power  and  influence  he  shrieked  out, 
*'Who  is  this  that  I  hear  such  things  of?  It 
is  John,  whom  I  murdered!  He  has  risen 
from  his  grave ! ' ' 

And  Eevenge,  as  well  as  Remorse,  did  not 
forget  him. 

The  father  of  his  lawful  wife  overcame  him 
in  battle.  When  the  woman  who  had  been 
his  ruin  influenced  him  to  go  to  Rome  to  ask 
CaBsar  for  a  royal  crown,  Caesar  discovered 
his  shameful  record,  deprived  him  of  his 
throne,  and  drove  him  into  lonely  exile, 

John's  friends  took  up  his  broken  body  and 
gave  it  burial.  Then,  homeless,  friendless, 
they  came  and  followed  Jesus. 


XIII 
REJECTED 

Befoee  they  arrived  the  news  reached 
Jesus  and  the  Twelve. 

The  Twelve  were  dumbfounded. 

It  was  as  when  a  man  wakes  from  sweet 
sleep  and  dreams,  to  find  a  brigand  at  his 
throat. 

Their  summer's  dream  was  over. 

They  had  been  sure  of  John's  release,  be- 
cause they  felt  that  Herod  did  not  dare  to 
brave  the  anger  of  his  people  by  killing  their 
hero.  And  now  his  corpse  was  stretched,  as 
it  were,  across  the  very  doorway  of  the  new 
kingdom. 

And  if  John,  why  not  Jesus'? 

If  Jesus,  which  of  themselves  next? 

Jesus  was  not  taken  by  surprise.  He  had 
known  since  his  days  in  the  desert  that  it 
could  not  often  be  summer  sunshine  in  his  life. 
He  was  ready. 

Still  his  great  heart  was  torn  with  grief. 
The  strong  giant,  his  boyhood's  hero,  was 
fallen.  That  fearless  face  was  still,  that  voice 
of  duty  was  hushed  forever.    The  man  who 


REJECTED  133 

had  unselfisMy  helped  him  when  he  hegan  his 
work  could  never  help  him  again. 

Late  that  evening,  John's  shattered  fol- 
lowers arrived. 

Before  sunrise  Jesus  called  at  each  home 
and  awakened  his  friends  from  their  troubled 
sleep. 

''Come,"  he  cried,  ''let  us  get  away,  before 
people  are  up,  to  some  lonely  spot  by  our- 
selves, and  rest  awhile. ' ' 

It  was  a  welcome  word.  Simon  and  John 
and  the  other  fishermen  cleaned  out  the  sail- 
boat, the  others  got  breakfast,  and  soon  they 
were  off.* 

There  were  perhaps  about  sixteen  aboard 
as  they  stole  quietly  from  the  Capernaum 
shore,  Jesus  and  the  Twelve,  the  two  friends 
of  John,  and  a  boy,  Simon  Peter's  son,  per- 
haps, who  had  slipped  on  under  the  shelter  of 
Jesus  and  who  sat  with  him  at  the  tiller. 
Jesus  was  fond  of  boys,  and  one  or  more  of 
them  was  very  likely  to  be  found  wherever 
he  was. 

They  had  been  together  in  Galilee  nearly 
a  year  now,  and  the  springtime  had  come 
again.  They  made  an  easterly  course  with  a 
fair  wind,  and  as  they  drew  near  the  solitary 
beach,  f  the  green  hill-slopes,  dotted  with  wild 
flowers,  and  the  thick  shade  of  the  trees  by  the 
water  looked  very  pleasant.  They  had  eaten 
their  lunch  on  the  water,  because  they  ha'd 

-*  See  Note  22.         t  See  Note  23. 


134  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

planned  a  walk  up  into  the  country  and 
wished  to  carry  nothing  with  them.  About 
sunset  they  expected  to  return,  and  by  dark 
they  would  be  home  to  supper. 

But,  as  usual,  they  were  interrupted. 

The  boat  was  hardly  drawn  up  safely  on 
the  sand  before  they  heard  voices  along  the 
shore  and  saw  white  garments  moving  among 
the  trees. 

Within  an  hour  one  of  the  largest  com- 
panies  which  Jesus  ever  met  had  surrounded 
him.  They  had  seen  his  boat  on  the  lake,  and 
they  had  hurried  around  the  shore  to  over- 
take him.  There  was  always  a  crowd  now  in 
Galilee  wherever  Jesus  was  known  to  be,  but 
the  presence  in  the  town  of  a  great  many  pil- 
grims on  their  way  to  the  Passover  from  for- 
eign lands  would  account  for  this  unusual  and 
restless  concourse.  And,  as  in  most  congre- 
gations that  gathered  around  Jesus,  the  pro- 
portion of  men  was  unusually  great. 

Jesus  pressed  back  his  private  grief  and  his 
disappointment,  and  even  walked  up  to  meet 
and  welcome  them  as  if  they  had  been  invited 
guests.  He  could  see  at  a  glance  that  most 
of  them  were  entire  strangers  to  him.  It  was 
not  a  congregation  of  believers.  It  was  a 
rabble. 

The  busy,  wearying  day  dragged  on.  From 
one  noisy  group  to  another  he  went,  telling 
the  Good  News  of  his  kingdom  and  healing 
the  sick.    As  fast  as  one  company  departed, 


REJECTED  135 

another  came  in.  There  was  not  a  moment  lo 
stop,  even  to  eat. 

The  crowd  was  restless.  It  appeared  that 
they  were  in  the  mood  of  demanding  some- 
thing. The  death  of  John  had  changed  them 
entirely.  The  feeling  of  loving  reverence 
which  he  had  always  met  in  Galilee  was  all 
gone.  These  men  seemed  to  think  now  that 
Jesus  was  about  to  escape  or  deceive  them, 
and  that  they  must  force  him  to  declare  the 
date  when  he  would  seize  his  kingdom.  His 
teachings  during  the  day  left  them  dissatis- 
fied and  uneasy. 

''Oh,  we  have  heard  all  this  before,"  one 
was  heard  to  murmur.  "It  is  nothing  but 
love  and  peace  and  goodness.  What  has  all 
this  to  do  with  our  kingdom?  And  now  John 
is  dead  and  Herod  has  gotten  his  courage 
again,  and,  unless  a  leader  arises,  we  shall  all 
feel  the  tyrant's  power  more  than  ever." 

Jesus  knew  all  they  were  thinking. 

As  the  heat  of  the  day  grew  intense,  and 
the  people  got  weary,  they  became  even  more 
restless.    They  were  hungry  as  well  as  tired. 

''Send  them  off,"  the  Twelve  kept  urging 
Jesus.  "  It  is  getting  dark.  There  is  no  food 
here.  Let  them  separate  to  the  villages  and 
farmhouses  about  here  and  get  lodging  and 
victuals. ' ' 

"We  don't  need  to  send  them  away.  You 
feed  them,"  said  Jesus. 

"We?"  answered  Philip. 


136  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

"Yes,"  said  Jesus,  "where  can  you  buy 
bread,  so  that  they  may  all  eat?" 

"Buy?"  said  Philip.  A  place  to  buy  was 
out  of  the  question,  but  the  cost  was  even 
more  impossible,  * '  It  will  take  at  least  thirty- 
five  dollars '  worth  of  bread,  and  then  no  one 
will  have  more  than  a  morsel. ' ' 

' '  Nevertheless,  it  is  for  you  to  feed  them, ' ' 
insisted  Jesus.  "How  many  loaves  have 
you?" 

Now  that  boy  had  stayed  close  to  Jesus  all 
day,  helping  sick  people  to  secure  his  atten- 
tion, and  repeating  over  again  Jesus'  sayings 
to  those  that  were  deaf  or  did  not  hear.  Some- 
time he  intended  to  be  a  disciple  himself.  The 
story  is,  that  he  became  one  later  and  grew  to 
be  a  bishop,  and  that  his  name  was  Theo- 
phorus,  "one  who  carries  God  in  his  heart." 
When  he  heard  Jesus  ask  this  question  he 
was  off  like  a  flash  and  rummaging  under  the 
boat  seats. 

When  he  came  back  with  the  little  bundle 
of  lunch  that  had  been  left  over,  his  uncle, 
Andrew,  stopped  him  and  asked  him  what  he 
was  doing.  Then  he  turned  to  Jesus  in  apol- 
ogy: 

"The  boy  here,  sir,  says  he  has  five  barley 
loaves  and  two  herrings.  But  what  are  these 
among  so  many  people?" 

' '  Order  the  men  to  sit  down  in  companies, ' ' 
said  Jesus. 

The  Twelve  arranged  the  entire  crowd  in 


REJECTED  137 

groups,  like  military  companies,  and  I  dare 
say  many  of  the  men  regarded  this  as  the  be- 
ginning of  the  organized  military  movement 
of  the  new  revolution. 

But  when  they  were  all  quiet  he  asked  the 
blessing  and  the  meal  began.  How  he  did  it 
nobody  knows,  but  he  gave  bread  and  fish  to 
the  disciples  and  they  carried  food  to  the 
crowd. 

It  was  Passover  time,  the  nation's  birthday. 
He  was  going  away  from  them,  it  is  true,  but 
not  to  escape  or  forsake  them.  He  knew  they 
would  not  let  him  stay.  But  before  he  went, 
he  wanted  them  all  to  sit  down  as  his  guests 
at  a  feast  which  should  mark  the  birth  of  the 
new  nation,  the  Kingdom  of  Human  Brother- 
hood. Ancient  Israel  had  been  fed  thus  by 
God.  So  should  the  new  Kingdom  have  its 
beginning,  an  out-of-doors  festival  for  all  the 
people. 

Can  you  not  seem  to  see  that  great  multi- 
tude on  the  hillslope?  They  looked— so  Peter 
many  years  later  told  his  friend  John  Mark, 
who  wrote  one  of  the  accounts  of  this  day— 
in  their  garments  of  scarlet  and  yellow  and 
blue,  against  the  background  of  the  grass, 
like  great  flower-beds.  Can  you  see  Jesus 
standing  in  their  midst,  with  his  arm  on  his 
boy-friend's  shoulder,  like  the  father  of  his 
people  ? 

They  sat  facing  the  sunset,  and  even  as  they 
were  eating  they  saw  the  sun  drop  down  be- 


138  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

hind  the  mountain  beyond  the  lake,  whereon 
he  had  taught  them  the  Blessings.  In  the 
clear  evening  light  they  could  discern,  clear 
across  those  waters,  which  the  wind  was  now 
tossing  into  surge,  the  white  villages,  where 
were  their  homes,  and  where  Jesus  had  so 
often  visited  them.  And  they  did  not  know 
that  this  mountain  and  those  villages  would 
not  see  him  any  more  before  his  death. 

The  generous  feast  stirred  their  excitement 
beyond  control.  Like  us  they  did  not  know 
whence  he  had  furnished  this  bounty.  The 
fragments  Jesus  was  already  dividing  among 
the  poorest  for  to-morrow.  How  fine  to  have 
a  Bread-king,  who  would  thus  feed  them 
every  day !  No  more  work,  no  more  poverty, 
no  more  taxes!  And  they  crowded  around 
him  shouting  wildly,  ' '  Our  king !  Hail  to  the 
king ! ' ' 

Jesus  smiled  sadly,  but  shook  his  head. 

The  disciples  were  as  excited  as  the  others. 
Judas  Iscariot  said  to  him  passionately,  ' '  Sir, 
you  will  throw  away  a  great  opportunity  un- 
less you  act  at  once. ' '  Simon  Peter  was  hard- 
ly less  urgent,  tho  more  self -controlled.  Jesus 
quietly  forced  the  Twelve  into  their  boat 
first,  because  he  saw  that  he  could  never  mas- 
ter the  mob  until  they  were  away. 

Then  he  turned  back  to  the  crowd.  Those 
who  came  by  boat  he  reminded  that  a  storm 
was  coming  and  that  they  could  not  make  too 
much  haste  home.     To  those  who  had  wives 


REJECTED  139 

and  children  with  them  he  suggested  the  perils 
of  the  darkness,  and  got  them  started  reluc- 
tantly upon  the  pathway  back.  Thinking 
they  could  persuade  him  in  the  morning,  even 
the  leaders,  recognizing  the  dangers  he  point- 
ed out,  consented  to  leave  him  for  the  night. 

And  when  the  darkness  had  shut  down  and 
the  winds  were  abroad,  and  the  stars  were 
clear  and  sharp  in  the  cloudless  sky,  Jesus 
was  left  on  the  hillside  alone. 


XIV 
THE  MEN  HE  MIGHT  HAVE  HAD 

The  temptations  of  the  desert  had  come 
back  again:  "Use  the  loaves  to  help  your 
own  success,"  and  "The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  are  yours,  if  you  will  only  fall  down 
and  worship  Satan. ' ' 

This  time  the  world  itself  was  urging  him 
to  yield.  "Be  our  king!"  it  cried.  "We 
need  you ! ' ' 

But  the  inner  Voice  said,  No. 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  he 
walked  into  the  little  stone  meeting-house  in 
Capernaum,  which  a  pious  Roman  captain 
had  built,  and  gave  them  his  decision.  The 
place  was  crowded,  for  they  were  all  looking 
for  him.  Jesus  was  as  calm  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  He  was  even  smiling.  He  came 
as  their  neighbor,  not  as  their  king. 

"You  want  me,"  he  said,  "not  because  I 
showed  you  a  token  of  God's  love,  but  because 
you  ate  my  loaves  and  were  no  longer  hun- 
gry. ' ' 

' '  But, ' '  they  cried, ' '  our  fathers  had  manna 
to  eat  in  the  desert. ' '  They  remembered  this, 
as  Americans  remember  Bunker  Hill.    Over 


THE  MEN  HE  MIGHT  HAVE  HAD        141 

the  front  door  of  this  very  meeting-house  was 
carved  a  pot  of  manna. 

''Yes,"  he  said  gently,  ''but  it  was  not 
Moses  that  gave  you  heavenly  bread.  Our 
heavenly  Father  it  is  that  gives  you  the  real 
Bread  from  Heaven." 

"Then,  Master,"  they  all  said  hungrily, 
"give  us  real  bread  always," 

Just  so,  you  remember  the  lazy  Samaria 
woman  had  said,  ' '  Give  me  that  living  water, 
so  I  shall  not  have  to  come  to  draw. ' ' 

"That  Bread  of  Life  am  I,"  said  Jesus. 
' '  Those  who  come  to  me  will  never  be  hungry, 
those  who  believe  in  me  will  never  be  thirsty 
forever  more." 

"You!"  they  cried  incredulously.  "Isn't 
this  Jesus,  Joseph's  son?"  they  said  to  each 
other.  "How  is  it  that  he  says  he  came  down 
from  heaven  ? ' ' 

As  long  as  Jesus  offered  his  gifts  they  were 
glad,  but  when  he  offered  himself  they  re- 
fused the  best  of  all  gifts. 

And  from  this  time  most  of  the  people  of 
Capernaum,  his  home,  and  gradually  of  all 
Galilee,  turned  against  him.  Great  numbers 
that  had  followed  him  here  and  there  were 
no  longer  seen  in  his  company. 

Jesus  knew  it  would  be  so.  But  he  loved  the 
Galileans  and  it  grieved  him. 

"Do  you,  too,  want  to  leave  me?"  he  said 
to  his  Twelve  one  day. 

' '  Whom  should  we  go  to  ? "  asked  Peter. 


142  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OP  CHRIST 

''But  don't  you  want  to  go?" 

* '  No,  Master, ' '  answered  Peter  stoutly,  dis- 
appointed tho  he  was  at  Jesus'  action  across 
the  lake,  '4t  is  you  who  have  the  words  that 
give  us  life. ' ' 

"But,"  said  Jesus  sadly,  thinking  of  what 
Judas  had  said  the  night  before,  "altho  I 
chose  the  twelve  of  you,  yet  even  of  you  one 
is  an  enemy. ' ' 

Then  he  told  his  friends  to  load  their  haver- 
sacks full,  for  they  were  to  start  on  a  long 
journey. 

Again  he  said  good-by  to  his  mother,  for 
this  was  to  be  a  half-year's  absence.  He 
spoke  a  kindly  farewell  to  his  brothers,  who 
were  now  living  in  their  own  homes.  But  I 
am  afraid  they  did  not  answer  him  cordially. 

They  regarded  themselves  as  the  religious 
ones  of  the  family.  They  were  going  to  Jeru- 
salem to  the  Passover  feast  and  they  probably 
thought  it  very  sinful  that  he  should  be  tramp- 
ing off  in  just  the  opposite  direction. 

Northwestward  he  led  the  Twelve  into  the 
mountains  of  upper  Galilee.  They  wondered 
at  him,  as  day  by  day  they  went  farther  from 
home,  and  finally  passed  the  boundary  line  of 
their  country  and  were  over  in  Phenicia. 

It  was  getting  into  the  summer,  but  the 
walking  was  pleasant  on  the  wind-swept  table- 
lands and  in  the  shadowed  ravines. 

They  covered  two  hundred  miles  that  sum- 
mer. 


THE  MEN  HE  MIGHT  HAVE  HAD        143 

They  visited  Tyre  and  Sidon,  those  mag*- 
nificent  old  capitals  of  that  heroic  race,  which, 
like  sea  gulls,  had  swept  every  sea  and  touched 
the  shore  only  to  find  nests  for  their  young. 

They  looked  with  amazement  at  the  crowd- 
ed masts  in  the  harbor  of  Tyre*  and  the  heaps 
of  varied  merchandise  along  the  wharves 
from  every  country  under  heaven.  They 
stood  face  to  face  with  black  Moors,  tawny 
Egyptians,  dark-eyed  Spaniards,  and  a  race 
they  had  never  seen  before— the  flaxen-haired 
Saxons.  They  walked  upon  the  cliffs  of  Sidon 
and  looked  beyond  its  temples  and  royal 
tombs,  its  groves  and  gardens  and  its  fisheries 
of  the  purple  limpet,  far  over  the  blue  sea, 
whose  waters,  they  knew,  swept  Greece  and 
Rome  and  Africa  and  the  Pillars  of  Hercules, 
and  met  the  great  ocean  beyond  the  setting 
sun,  where  lay  the  fabled  islands  of  the  Hes- 
perides  and  the  lost  continent  of  Atlantis. 

The  Jews  are  not  good  sailors,  but  these 
fishermen  found  fine  company  in  those  old 
salts  who  lounged  on  the  quays  and  who  told 
such  fascinating  tales  of  the  sights  in  far-off 
lands.  In  the  excitement  of  these  novel  ex- 
periences, I  presume  that,  like  boys  who  first 
see  the  ocean,  they  longed  to  take  one  long 
voyage  to  make  such  discoveries  for  them- 
selves. 

This  was  just  what  Jesus  wanted  when  he 
brought  them  to  these  foreign  shores.     Not 

~*See  Note  24. 


144  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

only  would  he  have  them  forget  the  disap- 
pointments of  Galilee,  but  he  wanted  them  to 
begin  to  listen  with  sympathy,  even  with  ad- 
miration, to  the  thoughts  of  other  races,  so 
that  when  they  themselves  became  his  mes- 
sengers to  other  lands  they  would  be  able  to 
deal  with  their  peoples  with  wisdom  and  un- 
derstanding. 

Already,  while  his  influence  among  his  own 
people  was  growing  less,  the  dauntless  Com- 
mander was  planning  his  world-wide  cam- 
paign. 

But  it  was  not  easy  to  accomplish  this.  The 
fishermen  were  very  willing  to  admire  the 
courage  of  these  deep-sea  sailors,  but  when  it 
came  to  religion,  they  regarded  them  as  only 
"dogs. "  That  was  the  word  they  used  for  all 
foreigners.  It  had  always  been  a  matter  of 
special  displeasure  to  them  that  when  some  of 
these  Tyrians  had  come  to  Jesus  in  Caper- 
naum he  had  received  them  so  kindly  and 
taught  them  patiently. 

One  story  only  is  told  us  to  prove  how  in- 
genious Jesus  was  in  showing  the  Twelve 
their  own  narrow-mindedness,  by  letting  them 
see  the  nobility  and  sweetness  of  nature  of  the 
very  people  whom  they  despised. 

One  day  he  was  resting  in  a  Tyrian  lodging 
house.  His  wonderful  teachings  had  already 
made  him  so  well  known  that  he  could  not  be 
hid.  It  was  a  woman  who  found  him  out,  the 
first  who  had  needed  bodily  help.     She  was 


THE  MEN  HE  MIGHT  HAVE  HAD        145 

not  of  the  noble  Phenicians,  she  was  of  the  old 
aboriginal  Canaanite  race,  that  had  settled  the 
land  before  the  Jews  did,  just  as  the  Indians 
did  our  own  country.  But  she  was  an  intel- 
ligent woman,  even  able  to  use  the  Greek  lan- 
guage. 

She  had  come  in  behalf  of  her  little  daugh- 
ter, who  was  insane.  Jesus  determined  to  let 
this  be  a  test  of  the  human  sympathy  of  his 
friends. 

' '  Have  pity,  my  lord ! ' '  she  cried. 

But  he  deliberately  turned  away  from  her 
and  left  the  house. 

The  poor  woman  followed  him,  begging 
earnestly  for  his  help.  Surely  the  disciples 
would  entreat  him,  out  of  mere  human  kind- 
ness, to  comfort  her. 

But  no.  They  were  pleased  that  he  ignored 
this  ''heathen,"  and  they  even  urged  him  to 
send  her  away. 

''Lord,  help  me !"  she  shrieked  in  despair. 

Jesus  had  overheard  some  of  the  conversa- 
tion that  his  friends  had  been  having  with  the 
Tyrian  sailors,  in  the  course  of  which  Peter 
in  his  blunt  fisherlike  way  had  told  the  Tyri- 
ans  that  they  were  only  the  street  dogs  that 
roamed  outside  the  households  where  the  true 
children  of  God  had  their  home. 

So  he  quoted  Peter  to  the  woman. 

"I  have  been  sent,"  he  said,  as  he  turned 
back  to  her,  "only  to  the  wandering  sheep  of 
Israel's  fold.    Let  the  children  have  enough 


146  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

first,  for  it  is  not  fair  to  take  the  children's 
loaf  and  throw  it  to  the  household  puppies." 

Was  there  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  as  he  spoke, 
or  did  she  notice  that  he  did  not  speak  of  her 
race  coarsely  as  homeless  street  dogs,  but  as 
the  pets  which  the  Tyrians  kept  in  their 
houses  ? 

With  keen  mother  wit  she  answered,  "Yes, 
Lord,  but  the  puppies  often  feed  on  the  scraps 
that  fall  from  their  Owner 's  table ! " 

Ah,  that  was  a  keen  answer !  ' '  Dogs ' '  they 
might  be,  but  God  was  the  Owner  and  Maker 
of  them  all. 

* '  Well  said ! ' '  cried  Jesus  with  hearty  pleas- 
ure. ' '  What  splendid  faith !  Let  it  be  as  you 
will.    Go  home.    Your  daughter  is  well." 

Splendid  faith  indeed! 

The  only  other  time  he  had  ever  been  able 
to  use  such  warm  terms  of  praise  had  been 
a  few  days  before  in  Capernaum.  And  then 
it  was  to  another  foreigner. 

The  captain  of  the  Roman  city  guard,  the 
man  who  had  built  the  Jews  their  meeting- 
house, had  a  favorite  slave,  a  boy,  who  was 
sick. 

He  sent  by  the  officers  of  the  Jewish  church 
to  Jesus  this  message : 

''Sir,  my  man-servant  is  lying  ill  at  my 
house  with  a  stroke  of  paralysis,  and  is  suf- 
fering terribly. ' ' 

Even  the  Jews  in  this  instance  urged  him 
to  come,  for  they  said,  "The  man  really  de- 


THE  MEN  HE  MIGHT  HAVE  HAD        147 

serves  your  favors,  for  he  is  devoted  to  our 
nation  and  he  built  us  our  meeting-house. ' ' 

Jesus  started  at  once  to  his  home.  But 
when  he  was  close  by,  the  captain  sent  out 
one  of  his  own  friends  with  another  message : 

''Sir,"  he  said,  ''I  am  not  of  importance 
enough  for  you  to  come  under  my  roof.  That, 
indeed,  is  the  reason  why  I  did  not  think  my- 
self fit  to  come  to  you.  Just  say  the  word  and 
the  boy  will  get  well.  For  I  know  how  it  is : 
I  myself,  a  man  under  the  orders  of  others, 
have  soldiers  under  mine,  and  if  I  say  to  one, 
'Go!'  he  goes,  and  to  another,  'Do  this!'  he 
does  it." 

It  was  then  that  Jesus  had  exclaimed  again : 
' '  Splendid  faith !  Never  in  any  Israelite  have 
I  met  with  faith  like  that. ' ' 

Jesus  insisted  on  meeting  this  gallant  sol- 
dier, and  after  praising  him  warmly  he  said, 
as  he  did  to  this  Tyrian  woman,  "Go  home, 
sir.    It  shall  be  according  to  your  faith." 

I  can  seem  to  see  Jesus  standing  on  the 
cliffs  of  Tyre  that  summer  evening  looking 
across  the  great  sea  and  murmuring  to  him- 
self what  he  had  said  in  Capernaum  regard- 
ing that  Eoman  captain : 

"Many  will  come  some  day  from  the  West 
as  well  as  from  the  East  and  take  their  places 
at  table  beside  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven,  while  the  heirs  of  the 
kingdom  will  be  banished  into  the  darkness 
outside." 


148  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Such  were  the  men  he  might  have  had,  and 
as  he  gazed  toward  Greece  and  Rome  and  the 
nations  beyond,  did  not  the  temptation  come 
to  leave  his  own  bigoted  countrymen  and 
carry  his  Gospel  himself  to  the  outer  world 
that  needed  him  and  seemed  so  ready  to  wel- 
come him?  Did  he  foresee  clearly  then  that 
the  march  of  his  kingdom  was  to  be  ever  west- 
ward, and  that  the  language  of  Greece,  the 
throne  of  Rome,  the  heart  of  the  Saxon,  yea, 
of  their  children,  the  Saxons  of  the  undis- 
covered America  beyond  the  seas,  would  be 
subdued  beneath  the  sway  of  his  Gospel? 

You  will  hear  it  said  that  Jesus  was  no 
patriot. 

The  best  answer  to  that  is  his  next  action. 
Deliberately  he  turned  his  back  on  these  op- 
portunities in  other  countries  which  were  so 
attractive  and  hopeful.  Back  again  he  went 
to  try  to  help  his  own  people,  who  he  knew 
had  rejected  him,  and  were  beginning  to  hate 
him. 

First  he  led  his  friends  eastward  through 
the  deep  gorge  of  the  rushing  Leontes  River, 
up  over  the  Alpine  range  of  the  Lebanon,  to 
where  on  some  clear  September  day  they 
looked  down  the  long  eastern  slopes  to  Damas- 
cus, the  Treasure  City  of  the  East,  the  Queen 
of  the  Desert. 

Mohammed,  you  remember,  likewise  once 
looked  down  on  this  same  city,  and  sighing, 
**Man  can  have  but  one  Paradise— mine  is 


THE  MEN  HE  MIGHT  HAVE  HAD       149 

not  here,"  turned  away.  So  Jesus  turned 
from  this  earthly  Paradise  toward  his  own 
people. 

Still  he  lingered,  as  long  as  the  impatience 
of  his  followers  would  let  him,  among  foreign 
places. 

He  had,  as  the  map  shows,  been  bounding 
a  great  circle  in  this  journey.  He  completed 
its  circumference  by  passing  southward  along 
the  curve  of  it  that  lies  east  of  the  Jordan. 

Beginning  at  the  north  with  Damascus  and 
reaching  southward  east  of  the  Jordan,  there 
was  a  group  of  important  cities  which  had 
formed  a  federation  for  defence  against  in- 
vaders. They  were  called  The  League  of  the 
Ten  Cities,  or  The  Decapolis. 

They  were  mostly  Greek  towns.  The  beau- 
tiful ruins  of  their  pillared  temples  and  fo- 
rums are  still  seen  to-day. 

Jesus  had  the  rare  accomplishment  of 
knowing  the  Greek  tongue,  having  picked  it 
up  with  much  pains  when  a  youth  at  Nazareth. 

Do  you  remember  the  giant  whom  Jesus  de- 
livered and  sent  as  a  missionary  through  their 
region,  his  native  land?  Bravely  and  well 
had  he  done  his  work,  and  so  when  Jesus  him- 
self came  among  these  people  he  received  a 
cordial  welcome. 

But  the  Twelve  were  not  interested  in  these 
foreign  folk,  and  at  length,  in  the  early  fall, 
he  brought  them  home  to  their  friends  in 
Capernaum. 


XV 

THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY 

All  this  time  the  foes  of  Jesus  had  been 
gathering. 

Who  were  they? 

Not  the  Galileans.  They  had  refused  his 
teachings  because  he  would  not  lead  them  in 
revolution.    But  they  wished  him  no  harm. 

Not  the  Samaritans,  for  he  was  the  only 
Jew  who  had  ever  dared  to  be  their  friend. 

Not  the  Judeans,  for  they  had  met  him  only 
during  the  few  weeks  while  he  was  helping 
John. 

His  foes  were  at  the  capital. 

Those  law-teachers  and  priests  hated  him 
because  he  had  attacked  their  unlawful  and 
tyrannous  traffic  in  the  temple  courts.  They 
were  afraid  he  would  rob  them  of  all  their 
ill-gotten  gains. 

The  Pharisees,  Jewish  Puritans,  hated  him 
because  he  would  not  obey  all  the  petty  and 
foolish  ceremonies  with  which  they  had  over- 
loaded the  Old  Testament  law.  Why,  they 
even  objected  because  Jesus  rubbed  the  heads 
of  wheat  off  the  stalk  with  his  fingers  when 
he  was  walking  through  the  fields  on  Sabbath 


THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY       151 

afternoons,  because  they  said  it  was  work. 
Grinding  grain,  they  called  it!  And  when 
people  in  suffering  were  brought  to  him  on 
Sunday  they  were  horrified  because  he  re- 
lieved their  pain  at  once. 

Jesus  once  drew  from  his  experience  as  a 
carpenter  a  humorous  illustration  to  show 
these  men  how  ridiculous  it  appeared  for 
them  to  make  so  much  of  little  things,  when 
they  had  entirely  forgotten  about  the  great 
things. 

*'Why,"  said  he,  ''do  you  scrutinize  so  par- 
ticularly the  splinter  in  your  brother's  eye, 
and  pay  no  attention  at  all  to  the  timber  that 
is  in  your  own  eye  ?  How  can  you  say  to  your 
brother, '  Brother,  let  me  assist  you  to  get  rid 
of  that  splinter  in  your  eye,'  while  you  your- 
self do  not  even  see  the  timber  in  yours  ?  Out 
with  that  timber  from  your  own  eye  first! 
Then  you  can  see  clearly  enough  to  take  the 
splinter  from  your  brother's  eye." 

The  Sadducees,  aristocratic  free-thinkers, 
many  of  them  priests,  who  had  always  been 
opposed  to  the  Pharisees,  agreed  with  them 
for  once  in  hating  Jesus,  because  he  stood  up 
for  the  poor  and  because  his  teachings  threat- 
ened their  positions  of  privilege. 

Now  the  power  of  Israel  was  in  its  capital, 
Jerusalem.  So  here  the  wealth  and  strength 
and  leadership  of  the  nation  were  at  this  time 
gradually  uniting  to  crush  this  one  innocent 
man. 


152  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

We  read  to-day  of  "graft"  and  greed  and 
political  corruption  in  our  American  cities. 
Did  you  ever  think  that  those  three  were  the 
monsters  that,  so  long  ago,  brought  Jesus 
Christ  to  his  death? 

Jesus  knew  they  would  accomplish  it. 

Such  a  fate  could  be  resisted  by  organizing 
the  country  people  against  his  foes,  but  that 
would  mean  civil  war.  Back  in  the  desert  he 
had  decided  to  conquer  men's  hearts,  not  their 
bodies. 

It  could  be  prevented  by  turning  to  some 
other  country,  where  multitudes  were  ready 
to  receive  him.  But  this  he  felt  would  be 
cowardice  in  deserting  his  trust. 

He  could  keep  on  as  before,  fighting  for  the 
few  who  would  accept  in  their  hearts  his  king- 
dom of  love  to  God  and  service  for  man. 

That  meant  death. 

We  have  seen  Jesus  as  the  gentleman,  the 
friend,  the  helper  of  those  in  trouble.  But 
he  was  more.  He  was  "God's  man,"  obeying 
God 's  Voice,  trying  to  be  to  men  what  God  is, 
to  show  our  Father's  full  love  to  his  children. 
Love  costs.  And  in  doing  God's  will,  Jesus 
must  pay  the  utmost  cost.  Because  he  loved 
men,  he  must  die  for  them.  Every  step  to- 
ward Jerusalem  was  a  step  toward  death. 

And  yet  he  would  take  them,  every  one. 

Even  in  the  desert  the  right  way  had 
seemed  dark  and  dangerous.  Now  it  was  no 
longer  dark.    It  was  deadly. 


THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY       153 

Almost  any  man  will  dare  a  heroic  death 
if  he  is  brought  suddenly  into  a  great  emer- 
gency. The  very  need  of  instant  action  leaves 
no  time  for  fear. 

The  greatest  hero  is  he  who  sees  death  far 
ahead,  knows  he  can  escape  it  if  he  chooses, 
thinks  of  it  day  after  day,  and  then  deliberate- 
ly walks  on  and  meets  it  face  to  face. 

This  is  what  Jesus  did. 

He  started  now  from  Capernaum,  as  soon 
as  he  could  get  the  Twelve  away.  And  this 
time  they  went  north  again,  up  the  Jordan 
valley,  to  Herod  Philip's  C.Tsarea,*  the  new 
northern  capital  which  the  king  of  the  north 
country  had  builded  upon  the  very  shoulder 
of  lofty  Mount  Hermon.  It  was  a  city  of  true 
Roman  magnificence,  at  the  northern  outpost 
of  Israel  and  the  sources  of  the  Jordan. 

On  the  way  he  taught  the  village  people, 
who,  like  those  east  of  the  river,  were  largely 
of  foreign  descent. 

He  stopped  one  day  to  rest  in  the  shade. 
He  was  seated  on  a  mossy  stone.  His  friends 
were  reclining  around  him.  It  was  peaceful 
and  still  under  those  mighty  cedars.  The 
world  seemed  far  away.  Suddenly  Jesus 
made  it  seem  very  near  again. 

''By  the  way,"  he  said,  ''who  do  people 
outside  say  that  I  am  ? ' ' 

That  question  must  have  been  asked  in  the 
hearing  of  these  twelve  men  a  thousand  times, 

•  See"Note  25. 


154  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

if  it  had  been  once,  during  the  past  two  years. 

Do  you  know,  it  is  a  question  that  is  usually 
answered  easily  enough.  Did  any  one  ask, 
*'Who  is  Herod  Philip?"  instantly  the  an- 
swer would  be, ' '  He  is  king  of  the  north  coun- 
try." ''Who  is  Herod  AntipasT'  ''King  of 
Galilee  and  Perea."  "Caiaphas?"  "He  is 
our  high  priest."  Even  "Who  is  Simon 
Peter?"  "Why,  he  is  a  fisherman  of  Caper- 
naum. ' ' 

But  who  is  Jesus? 

People  could  not  agree. 

The  Twelve  reported  what  they  were  say- 
ing. 

' '  Some  say,  John  the  Baptizer. ' ' 

"Some  say,  Elijah." 

"And  some,  Jeremiah." 

"And  others  say,  Another  one  of  the  old 
prophets,  perhaps  Moses,  come  back  again. ' ' 

"But  what  do  you  say?"  insisted  Jesus. 

There  was  a  long  pause. 

Had  they  not  wrestled  together  over  this 
question  during  all  the  months  that  they  had 
walked  behind  Jesus  over  those  northern  hill- 
slopes  ?  Had  they  not  been  forced  to  dismiss 
one  after  another  of  these  popular  answers? 
What  did  they  have  in  their  place?  Did  they 
all  agree? 

Simon  the  Zealot  and  Judas  Iscariot  had 
joined  Jesus  because  they  believed  he  would 
lead  an  insurrection  against  Rome.  His  cous- 
ins James  and  Jude  had  hoped  to  advance 


THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY      155 

their  own  prospects  in  life  by  the  good  for- 
tunes of  their  distinguished  relative.  John 
and  the  older  James,  altho  they  were  truly  his 
friends,  also  hoped  for  high  offices  in  the  new 
kingdom  they  expected  he  was  about  to  estab- 
lish. Andrew  believed  in  him  because  of  what 
the  prophet  John  had  said  about  him,  and  his 
brother,  Simon  Peter,  believed  in  him  because 
he  had  learned  to  love  him.  Matthew  and 
Nathaniel  and  Thomas  were  perfectly  unsel- 
fish in  their  devotion.  They  trusted  him,  but 
they  did  not  understand  him. 

You  get  out  of  patience  with  the  Twelve 
because  they  were  so  slow  to  believe  what  we 
all  believe  now  about  Jesus.  But  we  have  to 
remember— what  might  not  be  true  of  you 
and  me,  if  we  were  in  their  places— that  even 
when  they  did  not  believe,  they  stood  hy  him! 

Jesus  was  waiting  for  their  answer. 

Finally,  Simon,  who  had  paused,  not  to  be 
more  certain,  but  to  make  his  words  more 
plain,  said  solemnly, 

"You  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Living 
God!" 

Jesus  grasped  him  eagerly  by  the  hand.  To 
find  a  man  who  understood  him  gave  him  the 
gladdest  moment  of  his  life. 

'  *  Happy  man ! "  he  exclaimed,  '  *  Simon,  son 
of  Jonah.  You  did  not  get  this  from  men. 
This  came  to  you  from  my  heavenly  Father. 
And  I  will  tell  you  again  who  you  are.  You 
are  the  Man  like  Rock,  and  upon  such  rock 


156  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

(the  carpenter  is  speaking)  I  will  build  my 
church,  and  the  Powers  of  Death  shall  never 
overcome  it!  And  to  you,  Peter,  I  give  the 
keys.  You  shall  be  Chancellor  of  the  King- 
dom. ' ' 

But  a  rock  can  be  something  else  beside  a 
good  foundation  stone. 

That  very  day  Jesus  went  on  to  tell  them 
all  what  end  he  foresaw  for  himself  as  the 
close  of  his  work  for  men :  those  law-teachers 
and  the  priests  and  the  Pharisees  would  con- 
spire against  him  in  Jerusalem,  and  there  he 
must  die. 

As  they  all  started  on,  Peter,  who  was  walk- 
ing beside  him,  drew  Jesus  to  him  and  began 
to  remonstrate  with  him.  The  new  Chancellor 
thought  he  might  as  well  give  his  king  a  little 
wise  counsel.  His  loving  heart,  too,  could  not 
bear  this  terrible  fear. 

' '  God  help  you.  Master ! "  he  said  in  broken 
tones,  '  *  That  shall  never  be  your  fate. ' ' 

Weakness  of  soul  is  not  to  be  borne  even 
from  one's  staunchest  friend. 

He  swung  Peter's  hand  from  his  shoulder, 
and,  turning,  flashed  upon  him  this  sentence : 

* '  Out  of  my  way,  Tempter !  Now  you  are 
a  stumbling-stone  to  me.  You  look  at  things 
in  man's  way,  not  in  God's." 

It  was  a  hard  moment  for  Jesus  when  the 
voice  of  his  strongest  friend  was  raised 
against  his  great  decision. 

He  called  the  others  up  to  where  they  two 


THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY      157 

were  standing,  and  said  sternly,  "If  a  man 
wants  to  go  always  where  I  go,  he  must  re- 
nounce self,  and  take  up  his  Cross  every  day, 
and  follow  me. ' ' 

The  word  "Cross"  does  not  strike  us  to- 
day with  any  peculiar  force,  but  it  was  then 
a  horrible  word.  It  was  the  punishment  used 
only  by  their  Roman  tyrants  for  the  most 
shameful  crimes.  When  Jesus  spoke  thus, 
it  was  as  if  he  had  said:  "If  you  follow  me, 
every  day  you  must  walk  behind  me  on  the 
way  to  the  gallows ! ' ' 

Seeing  how  shocked  they  looked,  he  instant- 
ly added  this  kindlier  promise :  ' '  But  believe 
me ;  some  of  you  who  stand  here  will  certainly 
not  die  until  you  have  seen  God's  kingdom 
come  in  power." 

About  a  week  later  the  lonely  hero  pre- 
pared his  soul  for  death. 

He  left  nine  of  his  friends  in  a  village  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  took  Peter  and 
John  and  James  with  him.  These  three,  the 
Man  of  Rock  and  the  Sons  of  Thunder,  he  felt 
he  could  trust. 

They  had  all  seen  the  kinglike  crest  of  this 
sacred  mountain  from  almost  every  point  in 
their  native  country,  but  they  had  never  ap- 
proached it  before. 

Soon  they  left  the  vineyards  around  the 
villages,  passed  the  many  little  shrines  to 
Roman  and  Grecian  gods  that  peeped  from 
many  a  ravine  or  crowned  the  crests,  and 


158  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

crossed  the  snow-worn  gravel  beneath  the 
loftier  peaks  above. 

It  was  the  late  autumn,  and  the  forest-paths 
were  as  golden  as  the  halls  of  heaven.  The 
plains  below  were  carpets  of  Oriental  splen- 
dor. 

When  night  fell,  the  four  strong  climbers 
had  ascended  far  into  the  rarer  atmosphere, 
and  they  ate  their  supper  beside  some  icy 
brook  that  gushed  from  the  snow-line,  just 
above. 

From  this  silent  eyrie  they  could  look  up 
to  the  snowy  summit  and  see  off  as  far  south 
as  the  Holy  City  itself.  They  could  plainly 
discern  the  little  lake  whereon  were  their 
homes.  They  looked  from  the  waste  beyond 
Damascus  at  the  east  to  the  Great  Sea,  now 
touched  with  the  glory  of  the  sunset.  But 
they  were  so  far  above  all  these  earthly  scenes 
that  they  felt  themselves  in  another  world. 

The  unaccustomed  air  made  them  drowsy, 
and  soon  the  three  fishermen  were  rolled  up 
in  their  heavy  sheepskin  cloaks  beside  the 
camp-fire,  and  were  at  once  asleep. 

But  Jesus  was  thrilled,  rather  than  over- 
come, by  the  star-decked  sky,  the  snowy  plains 
and  the  silent  world  below.  He  seemed  to  be 
looking  down  on  all  his  past  life. 

Did  he  question  it  all?  Was  it  a  new  temp- 
tation? 

At  midnight  the  fishermen  heard  voices, 
and  sprang  up  half -awake. 


THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY       159 

Jesus  towered  in  the  moonlight  above  them. 
Never  had  his  splendid  physique  looked  more 
heroic.  In  the  wondrous  glow  of  moon  and 
snow,  his  face  and  long,  white  cloak  seemed 
dazzling  with  splendor.  He  was  talking,  talk- 
ing about  his  death.  And  he  was  not  talking 
to  himself.  He  seemed  to  be  debating,  ques- 
tioning, answering.  They  were  sure  that  they 
saw  others  with  him.  The  conversation  in  the 
valley  suggested  to  them  that  they  were  the 
two  ancients,  Moses  and  Elijah. 

The  prince,  who  had  gone  down  to  become 
the  leader  of  a  nation  of  slaves,  and  the 
prophet,  who  had  given  his  life  to  a  thankless 
people,  were  witnesses  to  the  glory  of  a  life 
of  love.  The  two  patriots  who  had  not  failed 
to  find  noble  successors— in  the  commander 
Joshua  and  the  healer  Elisha— could  tell  him 
that  such  lives  as  theirs  and  his  could  not 
finally  perish.  The  man  who  had  passed 
from  earth  by  the  kiss  of  God,  and  the  one 
who  had  gone  up  in  a  chariot  of  fire,  could 
say  that  death  is  nothing  to  be  feared. 

And  as  they  talked,  the  face  of  Jesus 
glowed  with  even  more  unearthly  beauty. 
Whatever  the  struggle  of  those  hours,  Jesus 
had  triumphed.  This  hour  he  stood  on  the 
mountain  summit  of  his  life's  joy. 

Even  while  the  disciples  were  looking  and 
listening,  one  of  those  billowy  clouds,  which 
nearly  always  rests  upon  the  summit,  rolled 


160  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

down  like  a  flood  of  snow,  and  the  thunders 
rolled  from  peak  to  peak. 

Now,  indeed,  they  had  seen  the  real  glory 
of  God's  Son,  happy  in  conquering  death, 
beaming  with  life  immortal.  And  they  fell 
upon  the  ground  and  hid  their  faces  with 
fright. 

When  the  cloud  passed  they  could  see  no 
one  but  Jesus.  He  was  now  close  beside  them, 
and  he  said  with  his  usual  cheeriness,  ''Up! 
Don't  be  afraid." 

After  it  was  all  over,  Peter  remembered 
with  shame  that  he  had  babbled  something 
about  building  some  leafy  tents,*  so  that  the 
guests  of  the  vision  might  remain,  as  if  he 
could  confine  heaven  in  a  mountain-shep- 
herd's hut. 

So,  Jesus  went  down  the  mountain  strength- 
ened, not  for  translation,  but  for  crucifixion, 
to  which  he  was  to  pass,  not  in  company  with 
two  saints,  but  between  two  murderers. 

Together  they  walked  down  to  meet  the  ris- 
ing sun.  At  the  old  bridge  over  the  Jordan, 
at  the  foot,  they  found  a  jeering  crowd,  gath- 
ered around  a  helpless  boy,  whom  their 
friends  who  had  stayed  below  had  tried  in 
vain  to  relieve. 

Sharp  was  the  contrast  to  their  eyes,  that 
had  just  been  blinded  by  a  heavenly  vision. 
But  if  they  had  had  sight  to  see,  it  was  an 
even  more  glorious  thing  to  watch  how  pa- 

*Soe  Note  19. 


THE  KING  IS  SEEN  IN  HIS  GLORY      161 

tiently  Jesus  bent  down  among  his  limp- 
hearted  disciples  and  cured  the  young  suffer- 
er. For  the  valley,  not  the  mountain,  is  man's 
home.  But  the  brook  that  gives  men  drink  in 
the  valley  has  its  source  on  the  mountains. 
So,  altho  they  did  not  speak  of  this  night 
until  after  Jesus'  death,  they  never  forgot  it, 
and  when  that  death  came,  and  even  when 
they  faced  danger  and  death  themselves,  they 
were  comforted  by  what  Peter  called  ''the 
Voice  from  heaven,  when  we  were  with  Him, 
in  the  Holy  Mount." 

That  Voice,  to  which  Jesus  had  listened  all 
his  life,  had  said, 

"This  is  the  Beloved,  my  Son,  who  pleases 
me  so  well.    Listen  to  him." 


XVI 

NEARING  THE   HOLY   CITY 

Now  he  began  to  talk  about  going  to  Jeru- 
salem. He  spoke  often  these  days  about  the 
cost  henceforth  of  his  service  to  himself  and 
to  those  who  followed  him. 

One  day  a  young  man,  noble  and  rich,  came 
rushing  to  him  and  fell  on  his  knees,  and 
asked  to  be  numbered  with  the  Twelve.  The 
faces  of  his  friends  lighted  up  at  the  idea  of 
receiving  such  an  influential  ally. 

Jesus  looked  at  him  with  tender  regard, 
and  then  he  turned  to  the  dark,  seamed  faces 
of  those  faithful  few  who  had  followed  him 
for  three  years  through  storm  and  sun,  favor 
and  fury.  It  took  a  great  soul  to  measure  up 
to  those  giants. 

''Go!"  he  said  solemnly,  "and  sell  every- 
thing that  you  have  and  give  to  the  poor. 
Then  come  and  follow  me. ' ' 

But  he  was  very  rich.  And  he  rose  hesi- 
tatingly from  his  knees  and  turned  and  was 
soon  lost  in  the  crowd. 

Then  Jesus  looked  again  at  his  disciples. 

"With  what  sore  striving  shall  they  win  to 
heaven  that  have  the  riches ! ' ' 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  163 

They  were  astonished  at  this  new  idea.  But 
Jesus  said  again : 

"My  children,  what  sore  striving  shall  it 
be  to  enter  God's  kingdom.  It  seems  easier," 
he  added  with  a  wry  smile,  ''for  a  camel  to 
get  through  a  needle's  eye  than  for  a  rich 
man  to  enter  into  God's  kingdom." 

' '  Then  who  can  be  saved ! ' '  they  exclaimed. 

' '  And  we  I "  interrupted  Peter  sadly.  ' '  We 
laid  down  everything  and  have  followed 
you." 

"Yes,"  answered  Jesus  heartily,  "and  no- 
body who  has,  like  you,  left  home  or  brothers 
or  sisters  or  mother  or  father  or  children  or 
land  on  my  account,  and  for  the  sake  of  my 
Good  News,  shall  fail  of  a  hundred  times  as 
much,  even  now  in  the  present— tho  not  with- 
out persecutions— and,  in  the  Good  Time 
Coming,  life  enduring.  But,"  he  added, 
"many  that  were  first  shall  be  hindmost,  and 
many  of  the  hindmost  shall  be  first." 

This  remark  gave  encouragement  to  a  wish 
that  had  long  been  cherished  by  two  of  his 
friends. 

John  and  James,  the  brothers  for  whom 
he  felt  the  highest  trust  and  love,  came  to  him 
when  he  was  alone,  led  by  their  mother,  who 
was  also  one  of  those  good  women  who  had 
been  helping  him  in  Galilee.  With  unusual 
respect  they  bent  low  before  him  as  if  he 
were  a  king. 


164  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

''What  do  you  want,  madam!"  he  asked 
Salome  courteously. 

"Sir,"  she  said  hesitatingly,  ''I  want  you 
to  do  for  us  whatever  we  ask  you. ' ' 

''What  is  it  you  want  me  to  do  for  you?" 

"I  want  you  to  say  that  in  your  Kingdom 
these  two  sons  of  mine  shall  sit,  as  viceroys, 
one  on  your  right  side  and  the  other  on  your 
left." 

Was  it  not  a  joy  to  hear  this  warm  con- 
fidence of  his  nearest  friends  in  his  success? 
But  did  they  realize  what  that  "success" 
meant  ? 

' '  You  don 't  know  what  you  are  asking, ' '  he 
responded  warmly. 

"Are  you  fit  to  drink  the  cup  that  I  have 
to  drink?" 

"Yes,"  the  two  young  men  shouted,  think- 
ing he  meant  the  wine  cup  of  royalty,  "we 
can. ' ' 

"You  shall  indeed  drink  my  cup,"  he  said 
sadly,  thinking  of  the  sufferings  they  should 
bear  for  him,  "but  as  to  the  seat— that  is  not 
mine  to  give.  It  belongs  to  those  to  whom  it 
has  been  assigned  by  my  Father." 

With  such  new  sternness  as  this  Jesus  faced 
the  great  struggle  of  his  life.  All  around  him 
was  danger.  His  Twelve  were  true,  but  just 
now  even  the  two  best  had  shown  that  they 
understood  him  no  more  than  children,  and 
that  they  were  thoroughly  selfish.  They  had 
ceased  to  be  a  help  to  him.    He  was  complete- 


HEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  165 

ly  alone.  As  they  walked  behind  him,  strid- 
ing straight  on  to  what  they  restlessly  feared 
was  some  disaster,  they  were  amazed  at  his 
silence,  and  when  they  looked  into  his  up- 
lifted face  they  grew  afraid  of  him.  He  was 
going  to  the  front.  The  Captain  was  hasten- 
ing to  the  firing-line. 

There  is  an  old  legend  that  wherever  Jesus 
walked,  by  night  or  day,  a  light  followed  and 
surrounded  him.  Certain  it  is  that  from  the 
time  when  he  turned  his  face  toward  Jeru- 
salem, while  he  was  no  less  human  and  lov- 
ing, the  light  of  the  Transfiguration  seemed 
to  grow  and  hover  about  him  continually. 

He  seemed  to  regard  Death  as  some  mighty 
warrior  with  whom  he  was  even  eager  to  have 
a  duel.  They  were  astonished  one  day  to  hear 
him  exclaim  as  he  pressed  his  hand  to  his 
brow:  "Oh!  this  baptism  that  I  am  to  be 
baptized  with!— how  I  feel  shackled  until  it  is 
accomplished ! ' ' 

Yet  never  was  he  more  thoughtful  in  plan- 
ning to  do  all  his  work  well  than  now,  with 
his  martyrdom  fully  in  sight. 

Three  things,  he  told  them,  he  had  to  do 
before  his  death. 

First,  he  must  reach  just  as  many  of  his 
countrjTiien  with  his  message  as  possible. 

Second,  he  must  make  one  more  appeal  for 
loyalty  to  Jerusalem,  the  city  that  was  the 
heart  of  Israel. 

Third,  he  must  prepare  the  Twelve  to  carry 


166  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

on  his  work  after  he  was  gone  from  their 
sight. 

He  did  the  first  thing  by  multiplying  him- 
self by  eighty-two.  Just  before  he  left  Galilee 
he  chose  seventy  more  messengers,  whom  for 
this  special  purpose  he  added  to  the  Twelve. 

Into  every  city  or  hamlet  which  he  expected 
to  visit  he  sent  them  before  him  to  prepare 
the  people. 

Their  marching  orders  were  much  the  same 
as  the  Twelve  had  received  at  first,  only  they 
were  not  limited  to  the  Israelites.  Into  de- 
spised Samaria  they  went,  and  there  Jesus 
followed,  finding,  however,  that  his  old 
friends  there  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
him,  because  he  would  not  promise  to  leave 
the  Jews  and  live  with  them.  This  so 
angered  John  and  James  (the  Thunderers) 
that  they  urged  Jesus  to  smite  the  narrow- 
minded  wretches  with  fire  from  the  sky. 
Which,  of  course,  Jesus  did  not  propose  to 
do.  All  up  and  down  the  tableland  east  of 
the  Jordan  they  wandered,  among  its  mixed 
population  of  shepherds,  and  he  was  never 
far  behind  them.  From  Jericho  up  to  Jeru- 
salem they  climbed,  through  the  dangerous 
desert  of  John  and  the  temptations,  and  Jesus, 
tireless,  climbed  close  to  them. 

The  proclamation  they  carried  was  so  sim- 
ple that  they  could  easily  learn  it.  How 
many  have  been  comforted  by  it  since  then ! 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  167 

"Jesus  says: 

Come  to  Me,  all  you  who  are  toiling 
And  moiling  with  heavy  burdens. 

And  I  WILL  REST  YOU  ! 

Take  My  Yoke  upon  you,  and  learn  from  Me, 
Because  I  am  meek  and  gentle-hearted, 
And  you  shall  find  rest  for  your  souls. 
For  My  Yoke  is  easy 
And  My  Burden  is  light/' 

It  was  the  message  of  a  carpenter-king. 
The  yokes  he  had  made  for  the  water-pots  in 
Nazareth  had  eased  those  who  had  burdens 
to  carry  up  the  hills.  The  Yoke  of  his  royal 
Law  of  Love  would  make  easy  all  the  burdens 
of  people  who  worked  and  were  tired. 

''Come  to  Me,"  he  said. 

Once  it  was  it,  the  kingdom,  now  it  was  He, 
the  King.  It  was  time  for  men  to  see  that  to 
have  the  kingdom  which  he  taught  they  need- 
ed only  to  follow  him. 

To  wear  a  crown  and  possess  a  kingship  is 
not  to  be  a  king.  To  be  a  king  is  to  have  men 
who  believe  in  you.  So  Jesus  was  already  a 
king. 

The  Seventy  came  back  triumphant. 

''Sir,"  they  said,  "even  foul  spirits  submit 
when  we  use  your  name." 

He  smiled  with  joy. 

"Ah!"  said  he.  "I  have  dreamed  of  the 
Tempter  himself  fallen  like  a  lightning  flash 
from  the  sky," 


168  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

He  saw  now  that  his  work  could  never  die. 
The  name  of  not  one  of  the  Seventy  has  been 
remembered,  but  that  single  message  of  Jesus 
told  even  by  unknown  men  has  transformed 
the  world. 

Do  you  believe  that^ 

''The  world  is  not  all  good  yet,"  you  may 
say. 

But  what  was  Jesus'  world? 

It  had  not  a  hospital  for  the  sick.  There 
was  no  shelter  for  friendless  old  people  or 
little  children.  It  had  not  a  single  skilled 
physician.  Human  life  was  very  cheap.  The 
weak  were  often  exposed  on  mountains  to  die. 
Prisoners  were  killed  for  a  thousand  petty 
crimes,  or  tortured  or  left  in  hopeless  dun- 
geons at  the  mere  nod  of  the  emperor. 
Eome's  favorite  sport  was  the  killing  of 
slaves  in  the  arena.  Every  nation  hated 
every  other  one.  Wars  were  continual. 
Women  were  burden-bearers.  The  majority 
of  the  human  race  were  bond-slaves.  Except 
in  Israel,  there  were  no  real  homes.  The 
world  had  its  noble  and  generous  spirits,  but 
for  the  most  part  it  was  a  world  of  cruelty 
and  hatred  and  sorrow. 

Do  you  need  to  be  told  how  it  has  changed 
since  then? 

Can  you  think  of  any  institution  of  kind- 
ness and  mercy  that  has  come  that  has  not 
come  because  of  Jesus?  Most  of  them  have 
even  borne  his  name. 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  169 

And  now  as  to  his  approach  to  Jerusalem. 

His  own  brothers,  ever  since  the  people  had 
tried  to  make  him  king  after  the  great  sup- 
per by  the  lake,  seem  to  have  felt  that  Jesus 
had  made  a  great  mistake.  Their  visit  to  the 
Passover  probably  persuaded  them  that  the 
Jerusalemites  were  ripe  for  revolt.  There  he 
could  recover  his  lost  chance.  Such  must 
have  been  their  motive— for  certainly  they 
could  not  have  meant  him  real  harm— when, 
on  their  return,  they  came  to  him  and  said : 

'*Go  on,  now;  march  up  to  Jerusalem  to 
the  harvest-feast,  so  that  those  who  believe  in 
you  there  may  see  the  signs  you  do." 

But  Jesus  told  them  sadly,  as  he  had  once 
told  his  mother,  ''It  is  not  time  for  me  yet. 
Your  time  is  always  ready. ' ' 

They  went  on  without  him,  but  a  few  days 
later  he  went  up  quietly,  through  Samaria, 
with  the  Twelve. 

The  priests  and  the  Pharisees  had  already 
decided  to  destroy  him. 

Some  of  the  Pharisees  who  were  not  sharers 
in  the  plot  met  him  and  warned  him  to  leave 
the  city  at  once  or  he  would  be  killed,  either 
by  their  own  rulers  or  by  Herod. 

When  he  heard  the  name  of  the  murderer 
of  his  friend  John,  Jesus'  face  kindled. 

' '  Go  to  that  fox ! "  he  thundered  out.  ' '  Say 
to  him :  Take  notice !  I  am  going  to  drive 
out  e^dl  spirits  to-day  and  to-morrow.  On 
the  third  day  I  shall  complete  my  work.  Then 


170  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

I  must  go  on  my  way,  because  'a  prophet 
must  not  die  outside  of  Jerusalem ! '  " 

In  Jerusalem?  What!  In  God's  Holy 
City?    Yes. 

' '  0  Jerusalem !  Jerusalem ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"She  who  kills  the  prophets  and  stones  the 
messengers  sent  to  her— Oh,  how  often  I  have 
longed  to  gather  your  children  round  me,  as 
a  hen  takes  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and 
you  would  not  come!" 

But  he  refused  to  run  away. 

You  must  remember  that  Jesus  was  quite 
unknown  in  the  capital.  Only  during  the  few 
days  when  at  an  earlier  Passover  he  was 
helping  John  had  he  ever  taught  there,  and 
his  brave  cleansing  of  the  temple  had  been 
soon  forgotten. 

The  common  people  at  once  became  inter- 
ested in  him. 

"He  is  a  good  man,"  one  shopkeeper  was 
overheard  saying. 

"No,  no,"  said  his  conservative  neighbor. 
"He  is  leading  people  astray." 

Just  then  Jesus  himself  passed  by  their 
store  booths. 

""VMiy  are  you  all  trying  to  kill  me?"  Jesus 
asked  them. 

They  were  astonished,  for  they  had  not 
heard  of  these  plots  of  their  rulers. 

"You  must  be  crazy,"  they  replied.  "No- 
body wants  to  kill  you. ' ' 

And  one  of  them  began  to  say  to  the  other, 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  171 

' '  This  is  not  the  one,  is  it,  that  they  are  eager 
to  put  to  death?  Why,  here  he  is,  speaking 
out  boldly,  and  they  do  not  say  anything  to 
him.  Is  it  possible  that  our  leaders  have 
found  out  that  he  is  really  the  Christ?  But, 
then,  we  all  know  where  he  came  from.  Does 
the  Christ  come  out  of  Galilee?  Doesn't  the 
Scripture  say  that  it  is  of  the  race  of  David 
and  out  of  Bethlehem,  the  village  to  which 
David  belonged,  that  the  true  Christ  is  to 
come  ? ' ' 

And  the  other  added,  ' '  But  when  the  Christ 
comes  will  he  be  able  to  give  more  signs  of 
his  mission  than  this  man?" 

They  began  to  feel  some  confidence  in 
Jesus. 

In  the  meantime  the  rulers  had  sent  police- 
men to  arrest  him. 

Their  council,  called  the  Sanhedrin,  was  in 
session  when  they  returned  empty-handed. 

''Well,"  said  Hanan  "the  vulture,"  the 
high  priest's  father-in-law,  their  real  leader, 
"Why  haven't  you  brought  him?" 

Said  the  Roman  captain  with  a  blush,  "No 
man  has  ever  spoken  like  this  one ! ' ' 

"What!"  replied  Hanan  with  a  sneer, 
"you  aren't  going  to  be  one  of  his  converts, 
are  you?  Have  any  of  us  gone  over  to  him, 
or  any  of  the  Pharisees?  As  for  the  rabble 
—they  are  cursed,  anyway," 

But  some  of  the  rest  said,  "What  are  we 
going  to  do  ?    For  this  man  does  show  many 


172  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

signs  of  his  mission.  If  we  let  him  alone  like 
this,  everybody  will  believe  in  him,  and  then 
the  Eomans  will  come  in,  after  he  has  stirred 
the  people  up,  and  will  rob  us  of  our  temple 
and  our  nation." 

Then  the  high  priest  himself  spoke. 

''You  don't  know  anything  about  it.  You 
don't  seem  to  realize  that  it  is  for  our  advan- 
tage that  one  man  should  die,  for  the  people, 
instead  of  the  whole  nation  being  destroyed. ' ' 

At  that  point  the  member  who  had  learned 
to  believe  in  Jesus  the  day  when  he  cleansed 
the  temple  took  courage  and  spoke  out, 

''Sir,"  said  he,  "does  our  Law  pass  judg- 
ment on  a  man  without  first  giving  him  a 
hearing,  and  finding  out  what  he  is  doing  I ' ' 

Caiaphas  was  very  angry. 

"Ah!  You  are  a  Galilean,  too,  are  you?" 
he  flung  back  at  him.  "Look  in  your  Scrip- 
tures! You  will  find  that  no  prophet  is  go- 
ing to  arise  out  of  Galilee." 

A  few  of  these  councillors,  influenced  per- 
haps by  Nicodemus'  words,  did  stop  on  the 
way  out  to  listen  to  Jesus. 

Had  any  conqueror  ever  come  to  his  capital 
city  as  Jesus  did?* 

When  Napoleon,  fresh  returned  from  his 
victories  across  the  Alps,  awaited  his  election 
by  the  people  as  emperor,  he  had  already 
crowded  Paris  with  his  soldiers.  When 
nobler  Cfpsar  came  home  from  his  successes 
against  Pompey^  he  won  the  heart  of  Rome  by 

*  See  Note  28. 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  173 

four  magnificent  triumphs,  commemorating 
in  turn  liis  victories  in  Gaul,  Egypt,  Pontus 
and  Africa.  But  when  Jesus  came  to  claim 
Jerusalem's  allegiance,  he  offered  the  city 
nothing  but  himself. 

The  two  shopkeepers,  mentioned  above, 
went  up  to  the  temple  one  day  to  hear  him 
talk.    This  was  what  they  saw : 

The  priests  in  their  flowing,  white  robes 
bound  with  their  wide,  bright-colored  silken 
girdles,  and  led  by  their  chief,  adorned  with 
his  jewelled  regalia,  swept  majestically  across 
the  grassy  terrace,  but  they  met  no  armed 
soldier  and  no  display  of  pomp  or  power.  A 
brown-haired  peasant,  speaking  the  distinct 
country  dialect  of  the  north  country,  was 
seated  among  a  few  friends,  dressed  in  coarse 
garments  like  himself,  talking  to  a  group  of 
the  poorer  people  of  the  city.  He  seemed 
like  a  shepherd,  not  like  a  king. 

Here,  where  the  learned  doctors  had  taught 
him  when  a  boy,  he  taught,  but  not  as  they. 
He  was  telling  the  people  stories.  Napoleon 
and  CjEsar  had  entered  their  capitals  with 
armies  to  win  power  for  themselves.  Here 
was  Jesus,  single-handed,  forgetful  of  self, 
pleading  only  for  the  rights  of  God  and  the 
rights  of  man. 

The  two  shopkeepers  happened  by  when  he 
was  telling  one  of  his  favorite  stories  about 
''How  Poor  People  Appreciate  God's  King- 
dom. ' ' 


174  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHKIST 

"Once  upon  a  time  a  king  was  giving  a 
great  dinner,  a  bridal-feast  for  his  son.  He 
invited  many  people  and  sent  a  servingman, 
when  it  was  time  for  the  dinner,  to  tell  the 
invited  guests  to  come,  as  things  were  quite 
ready. 

"But  they  all  alike  began  begging  to  be 
excused. 

"The  first  man  said  to  the  servant,  'I  have 
just  bought  a  field  and  I  am  obliged  to  go 
and  look  at  it.  I  beg  you  politely  to  present 
my  excuses.' 

"The  next  one  said,  *I  have  bought  five 
pairs  of  bullocks  and  I  am  on  my  way  to  try 
them.  I  beg  you  politely  to  present  my  ex- 
cuses. ' 

"But  the  next  one  said  brusquely,  *I  am 
just  married— and  I  can't  come.' 

"On  his  return  the  servingman  repeated 
all  these  answers  to  his  master. 

"Enraged  at  them,  the  owner  of  the  house 
then  said  to  his  servant.  '  Go  out  at  once  into 
the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  town,  and  bring 
in  here  the  poor  and  the  crippled  and  the 
blind  and  the  lame.' 

"Pretty  soon  the  servant  came  again  and 
said,  'Master,  your  order  has  been  carried 
out.    And  yet  there  is  room.' 

"  'Go  out,'  said  the  king,  'into  the  roads 
and  hedgerows  and  make  people,  both  ill  and 
well-favored,  come  in,  so  that  my  house  may 
be  filled.    For,  I  tell  you  all,  not  one  of  those 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  175 

men  who  were  invited  shall  have  a  taste  of 
my  dinner.'— And  thus  the  bridal  had  its 
guests. ' ' 

There  was  a  quiet  laugh  around  the  entire 
company.  One  shopkeeper  nudged  his  fellow. 
Everybody  saw  the  point.  The  Pharisees  had 
by  their  pride  and  attention  to  their  petty  ob- 
servances really  excused  themselves  out-of- 
doors  from  the  Father's  feast,  while  they, 
themselves,  because  they  knew  they  were 
needy,  might  be  wise  enough  to  enter. 

The  Pharisees  were  furious. 

Then  Jesus  continued,  as  he  saw  how  ex- 
ultant the  people  felt: 

''But  the  king,  coming  around  to  see  his 
guests,  spied  a  man,  lacking  a  wedding  gar- 
ment. Says  he  to  him, '  Friend,  how  came  you 
here  without  your  wedding  garment?'  And 
he  had  nothing  to  say.  Then  said  the  king 
to  his  servitors,  'Bind  him  hand  and  foot  and 
cast  him  out  into  the  darkness. '  There  is  the 
weeping  and  gnashing  of  teeth. ' ' 

The  two  shopkeepers  looked  at  each  other 
more  soberly.  The  point  was  toward  them 
now.  It  was  not  enough  to  get  in,  then.  One 
must  be  fit  for  the  feast  of  the  kingdom. 

The  Pharisees  rushed  at  him  as  soon  as  he 
had  finished. 

"You  are  a  Samaritan!"  said  one  of  the 
councillors  savagely.    "You  are  crazy!" 

And  it  made  them  so  angry  to  hear  him 
that  they  actually  collected  a  mob  about  the 


176  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

temple,  armed  with  stones,  to  kill  him  at  once, 
without  a  trial. 

You  can  see  how  much  justice  could  be  ex- 
pected from  this  kind  of  a  court. 

But  quite  a  number  of  the  common  people 
believed  in  what  he  said. 

He  left  the  city  when  the  festival  was  over, 
but,  two  months  later,  at  about  Christmas,  he 
came  boldly  in  again,  at  the  next  national 
festival,  that  of  the  Rededicating  of  the 
Temple. 

He  was  walking  in  the  shelter  of  the  Colon- 
nade of  Solomon,  when  a  company  of  the 
rulers  met  him  again.  They  were  a  little 
more  respectful  this  time.  It  may  be  that  his 
wonderful  success  in  winning  people  had 
made  them  wonder  whether  he  might  not 
really  become,  under  their  own  management, 
a  patriotic  deliverer  from  the  Romans. 

''How  long  are  you  going  to  keep  us  in 
suspense?"  they  asked.  **If  you  really  are 
the  Christ,  tell  us  frankly." 

''I  have  told  you,"  said  Jesus,  "and  you 
do  not  believe  me.  All  the  things  I  am  doing 
by  my  Father's  authority  bear  testimony  to 
me.    The  Father  and  I  are  at  one." 

"Blasphemy!"  they  shouted  furiously, 
bending  down  to  snatch  stones  again  to  kill 
him. 

They  could  not  scare  him. 

"I  have  done  many  good  actions  in  your 


NEARING  THE  HOLY  CITY  177 

presence,  with  the  Father's  help.  For  which 
one  of  them  are  you  going  to  stone  me  I ' ' 

*'It  is  not  for  any  good  action.  It  is  for 
blasphemy.  You  keep  making  yourself  out 
to  be  God." 

"I  said,  "I  am  God's  son,'  "  he  answered 
quietly.  ''Even  our  Law  has  this  statement 
in  one  place,  'Ye  are  gods. '  If  those  to  whom 
God's  words  were  spoken  were  said  to  be 
'gods,'  why  do  you  cry  out  against  me,  our 
Father's  spokesman,  when  I  merely  say,  'I 
am  God's  son?'  " 

Do  you  see  what  he  meant? 

"I  am  God's  son,  yes,  and  every  man  is 
meant  to  be  a  child  of  God." 

That  was  what  Jesus  stood  for.  That  was 
all  he  wanted  men  to  see. 

But  greed  and  meanness  had  made  these 
men  so  afraid  that  they  were  going  to  lose 
something  if  the  world  should  believe  such 
teaching  that  they  were  bound  to  kill  its 
teacher. 

So,  again  they  drove  him  from  the  city. 

Again  the  leaders  had  disowned  him,  but 
the  common  people,  as  in  Galilee,  were  even 
more  eager  to  hear  him. 

When  he  was  driven  from  the  Holy  City 
he  carried  out  his  third  plan.  In  a  little  un- 
known hamlet,  near  the  desert,  and  across  the 
Jordan,  in  the  pastures  of  Moab,  and  in  the 
valley  of  the  Jordan,  close  to  the  place  of  his 
baptism,  he  kept  the  Twelve  near  him  until 

*  See  Note  26. 


178  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

his  last  Passover,  warning  them  patiently  of 
the  sorrow  that  was  to  come— which  they 
could  not  believe— and  telling  them  what  to 
do  after  he  was  killed. 

Had  not  Jesus  really  failed? 

Judea  had  never  paid  him  attention.  Gali- 
lee, and  even  Samaria,  had  already  rejected 
him.    Jerusalem  was  not  deeply  moved. 

He  had  the  Twelve,  a  few  Galileans,  a  few 
foreigners.  There  were  not  six  hundred  per- 
sons on  his  side.  And  soon  he  was  to  die,  and 
was  this  the  measure  of  his  *' kingdom T* 
What  was  to  prevent  his  being  entirely  for- 
gotten? 

Do  you  realize  how  little  Jesus  seemed  to 
worry  about  being  remembered  ?  He  built  no 
temple,  organized  no  society,  wrote  no  book. 
He  did  not  even  appoint  any  one  to  write  his 
biography.  His  company  had  a  treasurer, 
but  no  secretary.  Indeed,  who  was  there 
among  them  all,  unless  it  was  Matthew,  who 
was  competent  to  write  a  memorial  of  Jesus? 

But  it  is  not  how  many,  it  is  how  much  men 
believe. 

We  have  seen  what  God  the  Father  could 
do  with  one  Life  that  was  all  his  own.  What 
could  he  not  do  even  with  five  hundred? 

We  look  out  to-day  on  a  world  that  has  been 
leavened  with  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  we  re- 
member what  he  said : 

"The  Victory  that  conquers  the  World  is 
your  Faith.'* 


XVII 
THE   HEIRS   OF   HIS    KINGDOM 

' '  Come,  sister  Ruth,  it  is  time  to  get  up. ' ' 

It  was  a  boy  who  spoke  these  words,  and  the 
drowsy  listener  was  a  baby  of  three  or  four. 

Eemember  that  she  was  not  lying  in  a  little 
white  bed,  in  a  sunny  chamber,  in  our  own 
country.  She  was  curled  up  in  a  dark  corner 
of  a  small  room,  on  a  brown  mattress,  that 
lay  on  a  hard  earthen  floor. 

Tho  the  little  room  was  small  and  bare,  it 
was  clean  and  cool.  Along  the  sides  ran  long 
shelves,  and  upon  these  the  busy  mother  was 
already  laying,  folded  up,  the  thin  mats,  upon 
which  the  family  had  been  sleeping.  Over 
these  shelves  were  two  cupboards,  where  food 
and  dishes  were  kept.  There  were  a  few 
rushes  spread  on  the  floor,  a  lamp  stood  on  a 
basket  in  one  corner  and  in  another  the  break- 
fast was  spread  on  a  low,  square  bench.  The 
door  was  open,  and  the  sky  and  fields  looked 
pleasant  outside.  The  father  and  older  broth- 
ers were  already  at  work  out  in  the  vineyard. 

The  little  one  awoke  with  a  smile,  as  she 
saw  her  big  brother  bending  over  her. 

''Come,  baby,"  he  said,  "look!    See  how 


180  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

bright  the  flowers  are  after  the  rain,  and  how 
fresh  the  air  is.  It  is  going  to  be  a  fine  day 
for  our  journey,  isn't  it,  mother  1" 

**Yes,"  answered  the  mother  hurriedly,  "it 
is  a  beautiful  day,  but  we  shall  never  get 
started  at  all  if  a  boy  I  know  doesn't  get  his 
sister  ready." 

Then  the  boy  helped  his  little  sister  splash 
her  face  and  hands  with  water  and  gave  her 
the  breakfast  that  was  waiting. 

There  had  been  a  great  deal  for  the  mother 
to  do  that  day.  Dinner  must  be  prepared  for 
the  father  and  the  two  older  boys,  the  lunch 
must  be  put  up  and  the  house  must  be  left 
clean.  Eestless  Ruth  must  be  held  still  until 
her  short,  brown  hair  had  been  braided  in 
three  smooth  strands,  her  little  bright  new 
tunic  must  be  girdled  carefully  with  the  many- 
colored  sash,  the  boy's  jacket  must  be  mended 
where  it  was  last  torn,  and  the  mother  must 
hastily  arrange  her  own  long,  black  hair  and 
put  on  the  neat  blue  gown  which  was  kept 
folded  on  the  top  shelf  for  extra  occasions. 

All  this  time  the  mother's  usually  sunny 
face  was  clouded.  Her  husband  had  not  been 
pleased  with  her  proposed  excursion. 

**A  foolish  trip,"  he  had  said,  and  ^'you'll 
only  have  your  trouble  for  your  pains.'* 

At  length  all  was  ready,  and  they  walked 
from  the  open  door  into  the  sunshine.  It  was 
still  early  in  the  day,  and  the  dew  was  not  all 
gone,  while  a  cool  freshness  still  lingered  in 


THE  HEIRS  OF  HIS  KINGDOM  181 

the  shade.  The  narrow  pathway  wound  now 
along  the  deep  bed  of  a  brook,  now  over  a 
bare  headland,  where  brown-legged  sheep 
were  grazing,  and  then  went  zigzag  through 
a  grain  field  which  was  green  with  the  soft- 
ness of  March. 

Somehow  the  day  grew  happier  as  soon  as 
they  were  out  of  doors,  and  when  they  ate 
their  lunch  beside  the  brook  all  the  shadows 
of  the  morning  had  passed  away. 

It  was  not  a  very  long  journey  that  they 
had  to  take,  and  they  walked  very  slowly,  for 
the  baby  was  not  a  very  vigorous  traveler. 

The  last  part  of  the  way  was  the  hardest. 
Ruth,  who  had  at  first  run  hither  and  thither 
chasing  butterflies— like  them  in  her  bright 
clothing  and  ceaseless  flitting— began  to  take 
slower  and  more  sober  steps,  and  at  length 
cried  for  her  mother's  arms.  The  boy,  whose 
name  was  Joseph,  took  turns  in  carrying  her, 
but  before  long  they  both  of  them  got  very 
tired  with  their  sleepy  burden. 

At  length  they  came  to  the  end  of  their  jour- 
ney. Just  outside  a  little  village  at  a  cross- 
roads were  an  old  man  and  a  lame  man  with 
a  crutch,  and  a  few  women  and  children  seat- 
ed on  stones  beside  the  highway. 

They  were  all  looking  down  the  road  that 
led  to  the  village. 

Within  a  short  time  they  saw  a  dust  cloud 
and  all  sprang  to  their  feet  with  eagerness. 

As  the  dust  rose  nearer  they  could  see  who 


182  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

was  coming.  A  tall  young  man,  followed  by 
a  dozen  others  of  various  ages,  walked  vigor- 
ously and  swiftly  toward  them.  He  was  sing- 
ing. 

Instantly  it  seemed  as  if  the  other  roads 
were  full  of  people,  and  quite  a  crowd  soon 
collected. 

Was  he  a  physician?  For  the  sick  were 
being  brought  to  his  attention.  Was  he  a 
teacher?  For  the  people  were  crowding  to 
ask  him  questions.  Was  he  a  soldier?  For 
the  strong  men  who  surrounded  him  obeyed 
instantly  his  commands. 

The  mother  had  caught  up  her  baby,  who 
was  just  waking  up,  and  Joseph  stood,  some- 
what frightened,  close  beside  her. 

One  of  the  older  men  who  followed  the 
youth  spied  a  delegation  of  village  councillors 
coming  up  the  road  to  greet  him.  He  elbowed 
his  way  ahead  of  his  leader  to  make  a  passage 
for  him. 

*'Away,  woman,"  he  said  in  a  tone  of  au- 
thority, somewhat  loud,  to  the  mother  who 
was  peering  up  to  the  young  man's  face.  "Do 
not  be  troubling  the  teacher  with  your  chil- 
dren.   He  is  tired." 

The  woman  shrank  back,  grieved  as  a  tim- 
orous child. 

But  instantly  the  teacher's  hand  was  on 
Simon's  shoulder. 

"Suffer  the  little  ones  also  to  come  unto 
me, ' '  he  gently  said. 


THE  HEIRS  OF  HIS  KINGDOM  183 

All  that  Peter  had  seen  was  a  tired,  dusty 
woman  of  the  humbler  class,  holding  a  baby 
with  tear-stained  cheeks  close  to  her  bosom, 
and  an  ordinary  boy  beside  her.  But  Jesus 
saw  more.  He  saw  a  loving  mother  who  be- 
lieved in  his  goodness  and  who  fondly  hoped 
that  a  word  of  blessing  from  the  teacher 
might  act,  as  the  touch  of  the  ancient  prophets 
was  wont  to  do,  as  a  kindly  spell  over  her 
dear  ones.  He  looked  at  the  children  and  he 
saw  in  their  pure  faces  the  hope  of  the  world 
when  all  these  older  people  were  in  their 
graves. 

He  took  the  baby  from  the  mother's  aching 
arms  and  he  beckoned  the  boy  to  a  seat  on 
the  stone  beside  him,  near  the  roadway. 

''These,"  he  said  to  the  other  people  who 
looked  in  wonder  to  see  a  rabbi  folding  a  baby 
to  his  bosom,  "these  belong  to  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  "Whoever  does  not  take  the  kingdom 
as  a  little  child  does  is  never  coming  into  it, 
and  whoever  does  any  harm  to  any  of  these 
little  ones— it  would  be  better  for  him,"  he 
added  grimly,  ''if  he  had  a  millstone  hung 
around  his  neck  and  he  were  dropped  down 
into  the  middle  of  the  sea. ' ' 

Immediately  the  other  mothers  took  cour- 
age, and  he  was  soon  surrounded  by  a  whole 
flock  of  bairns. 

As  they  drew  near  to  him  Jesus  was  heard 
to  say, 

"Whoever  shall  welcome  one  of  such  little 


184  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

ones  as  these,  for  the  sake  of  me,  welcomes 
me,  and  he  who  welcomes  me,  welcomes  Him 
that  sent  me. ' ' 

He  called  them  up  to  him  one  by  one,  and 
to  all  who  were  old  enough  to  understand 
him  he  said  a  friendly  or  cheerful  word.  And 
upon  the  heads  of  all  he  laid  his  hands,  and, 
looking  up  to  heaven,  asked  a  blessing  for 
them.* 

As  mother  and  Joseph  and  the  baby  turned 
to  their  homeward  journey,  the  shadows  were 
already  creeping  across  the  valleys. 

They  stopped  on  the  first  small  rise  and 
looked  back.  The  people  were  already  scat- 
tering to  their  homes,  and  far  along  the  wind- 
ing road  they  could  see  the  Lord  Jesus  hasten- 
ing southward  with  his  friends. 

They  did  not  know  that  he  would  be  walk- 
ing all  night  to  bring  help  to  the  home  oi'  a 
friend  far,  far  away.  They  did  not  know  that 
he  was  on  his  way  to  meet  the  scourge  and  the 
cross  for  them  and  for  all  the  world.  But  it 
was  precious  to  all  the  world  afterward  to 
remember  that  his  last  farewell  to  Perea,  be- 
yond Jordan,  had  been  to  brighten  all  the 
future  by  blessing  the  children. 

The  road  home  did  not  seem  long.  The  air 
was  cooler  and  the  dew  was  falling.  And  the 
mother's  heart  was  so  full  of  joy  that  she  did 
not  mind  having  to  carry  the  baby,  who  al- 
ready seemed  more  dear  to  her  because  the 

•  See  Note  29. 


THE  HEIRS  OF  HIS  KINGDOM  185 

Lord's  hands  had  been  laid  upon  her.  And 
the  boy  Joseph  was  happy,  too.  He  was  try- 
ing to  sing  the  marching  song  that  he  had 
heard  Jesus  singing,  and  he  was  thinking  of 
the  word  Jesus  had  spoken  in  his  ear,  a  brave 
word,  about  what  he  wanted  him  to  try  to  be 
when  he  grew  up  and  became  a  man. 

It  was  not  long,  then,  before  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  home  cottage,  with  father  stand- 
ing in  the  door  and  the  boys  running  to  meet 
them. 

How  much  they  had  to  tell  as  they  ate  their 
supper ! 

Joseph  told  everything,  except  what  the 
teacher  had  said  to  him.  That  was  his  own 
secret. 

''And  what  did  he  say  to  you,  sister  Ruthl" 
asked  the  older  brother  David,  laughing. 

' '  Let  me  think, ' '  she  answered,  scowling  up 
her  dainty  face.  "He  said,  'Happy— are  the 
pure— in  heart,  because  they  shall  see— 
God.'  " 

They  were  all  still  for  a  moment.  It 
seemed  like  a  special  message  to  each  one. 
Even  the  strong  father  was  touched  to  tears. 

That  night  the  mother  taught  her  little 
daughter  to  pray  for  the  good  teacher  that 
he  might  be  kept  safe.  In  how  many  homes 
were  little  children  and  boys  and  girls  pray- 
ing for  their  dear  friend  every  night! 

Soon  they  were  all  abed.  And  the  pale 
moonlight  fell  upon  a  sleeping  household  and 


186  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

a  resting  world.  But  the  Savior  of  men  was 
tirelessly  pressing  on  all  night  long  to  Beth- 
any, where  sorrow  and  death  awaited  his  com- 
forting. Tired  mothers  and  little  children 
had  found  rest  in  him— and  he  took  his  rest 
in  God. 


XVIII 
THREE  WHOM   JESUS   LOVED 

For  over  two  years  Jesus  had  been  home- 
less. 

True,  he  had  provided  for  his  mother  a 
comfortable  house  in  Capernaum,  and  his 
brothers  and  sisters  were  all  living  with  their 
own  families. 

But  he  himself  was  a  wanderer. 

When  another  rabbi  one  day  thought  he 
wanted  to  join  him,  he  discouraged  the  lazy 
man  of  indoor  study  by  saying  whimsically, 
"Foxes  have  holes,  wild  birds  have  roosts, 
but  I  have  no  place  of  my  own  to  lay  my 
head." 

But  there  was  one  place  which  now  offered 
itself  to  him,  for  the  few  days  that  were  left, 
as  his  home. 

Bethany*  was  a  small  village,  two  miles 
east  of  Jerusalem,  over  the  hill. 

Here  lived  a  well-to-do  family,  known  in 
Jerusalem.  The  father  and  mother  were 
dead,  but  there  remained  two  grown  sisters 
and  a  brother,  a  boy  of  about  sixteen. 

When  Jesus  got  acquainted  with  them  we 

'  ♦  See  Note  27. 


188  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

can  not  say.  It  may  have  been  at  his  earliest 
visit  to  the  city.  But  this  we  do  know,  that, 
like  loyal  Jews,  they  opened  their  house  to 
visitors  to  the  national  festivals,  and  here 
Jesus  was  always  entertained. 

To  the  harvest  festival,  as  we  have  seen, 
had  come  Jesus,  a  few  months  before  he  visit- 
ed Perea.  He  spent  this  feast  at  Bethany  and 
celebrated  it  at  the  home  of  his  friends  in 
accordance  with  the  peculiar  customs  of  his 
time. 

The  festival  was  a  thanksgiving,  not  only 
for  the  harvests  of  fruits,  olive  oil  and  grapes, 
but  also  for  the  successful  end  of  the  ancient 
wanderings  of  their  forefathers  in  the  wilder- 
ness. So  the  whole  week  was  spent  by  the 
men  and  boys  living  in  booths  made  of  leafy 
branches,  which  were  supposed  to  resemble 
the  shelters  in  which  their  forefathers  had 
encamped.  Jesus  and  young  Lazarus  lodged 
in  a  small  booth  in  the  garden  and  the  sisters 
in  the  house.  They  all  spent  their  leisure  in 
the  daytime  in  a  larger  booth  in  the  court- 
yard. 

While  the  Twelve  and  Lazarus  were  over  in 
the  city  enjoying  the  festival,  Mary,  the 
younger  sister,  would  sometimes  sit  in  the 
shelter  of  the  large  booth  and  listen  to  Jesus. 
She  was  a  young  woman  of  brilliant  mind  and 
keen  memory,  and  many  of  his  sayings  would 
have  been  lost  to  us  if  she  had  not  remembered 
them  and  told  them  to  others. 


THREE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED  189 

The  first  day  that  Jesus  was  there,  Martha, 
the  housekeeper,  was  making  the  greatest 
preparations  to  do  honor  to  her  distinguished 
guest.  Mary,  too,  had  helped  with  those 
preparations,  but  she  thought  she  could  honor 
him  better  if  she  forgot  everything  else  but 
this  too  short  opportunity  to  listen  to  him. 

Everything  seemed  to  go  wrong  with  busy 
Martha  that  morning,  and  finally,  as  she  was 
passing  the  open  front  of  the  booth  where 
Mary  sat,  so  much  at  ease,  she  snapped  out, 
"Well,  sir,  you  don't  seem  to  notice  that  my 
sister  has  left  me  to  do  all  this  work  alone. ' ' 

There  was  no  use  getting  angry  at  the  tired 
woman.    Jesus  smiled  in  sympathy. 

"Oh,  Martha,  Martha!"  he  said,  "You cer- 
tainly are  anxious  and  bustling  about  many 
things  to-day.  But  really  only  a  few  are  nec- 
essary—or, indeed,  one.  Mary  has  made  a 
good  choice, ' '  he  added  kindly, ' '  and  it  is  one 
that  will  not  be  taken  away  from  her." 

It  was  Mary's  good  fortune  to  be  present 
one  day  when  Jesus  first  spoke  to  his  friends 
words  which  are  to-day  taught  to  every  Chris- 
tian child  in  all  the  world.  How  many  times 
afterward  she  must  have  told  the  story,  in 
words,  perhaps,  like  these : 

"The  Lord  Jesus  did  not  go  up  to  the  city 
until  the  festival  was  partly  through.  He  was 
resting  with  us  in  his  pleasant  tent,  open  to 
the  breeze,  but  not  to  the  sun. 


190  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

''Into  our  garden  one  day  I  came  to  show 
the  way,  and  the  Twelve  followed  me. 

"We  found  him  at  prayer. 

"His  eyes  were  closed.  His  worn,  tired 
face  was  shining.  His  hair,  we  began  to  no- 
tice, was  streaked  with  gray.  His  lips,  curved 
to  a  smile,  moved  slowly. 

' '  We  would  not  interrupt  him. 

"We  knelt  at  a  little  distance  and  watched 
him,  and  when  at  length  he  gently  opened  his 
eyes,  we  exclaimed  with  one  accord,  'Lord, 
teach  us  how  to  pray. ' 

"It  was  then  that  he  taught  us  the  prayer 
he  had  just  been  saying,  which  the  world  calls, 
The  Lord's  Prayer.  We  had  thought  before 
that  prayer  was  a  duty,  but  since  we  saw 
Jesus  talking  with  our  Father  we  have  come 
to  see  that  it  is  our  recreation  and  our  rest. ' ' 

Mary  had  another  story,  strange  and  won- 
derful, to  tell  the  world: 

"After  the  Festival  of  Rededication  in  De- 
cember it  was  no  longer  safe  for  Jesus  to  stay 
near  Jerusalem.  It  would  have  brought 
danger  to  his  friends  as  well  as  to  himself. 
So  he  spent  this  time  with  the  Twelve,  by 
themselves,  in  solitary  places  in  Perea  and 
Samaria,  where  he  could  warn  them  what  they 
were  to  do  and  suffer  after  his  death, 

"In  March,  about  five  months  after  the 
harvest  festival,  our  brother  Lazarus  fell  sick. 
As  soon  as  sister  Martha  had  seen  his  hot  face 


THREE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED  191 

and  felt  his  burning  hands,  her  first  task  was 
to  try  to  make  him  comfortable,  and  her  next 
was  to  say  briefly  to  me,  'Send  for  the  Lord 
Jesns. ' 

''This  was  done  at  once,  and  with  fresher 
courage  we  both  turned  to  the  anxious  work 
before  us.  Martha  is  an  excellent  nurse,  soft- 
footed  and  still,  mistress  of  countless  cooling 
draughts  and  home-made  medicines,  and  all 
her  skill  was  put  into  play,  for  she  saw  at 
once  that  he  was  very,  very  ill.  And  I  did 
what  I  could  to  help  the  dear  boy  to  rest  and 
sleep.  At  first  Lazarus  tried  bravely  to  get 
up,  and  when  that  was  forbidden  he  lay  quiet- 
ly and  talked  and  laughed  with  us  gaily,  for 
he  did  not  know  what  it  was  to  be  unwell.  As 
he  grew  weaker,  Martha  told  him  that  she  had 
sent  for  the  great  Physician,  and  he  was  much 
pleased.  Martha  worked  on  in  her  busy  way, 
her  lips  close  pressed,  and  I,  when  my  part 
was  done,  sat  on  the  battlemented  housestop 
until  night,  looking  wearily  down  the  road, 
up  which  we  longed  to  see  Jesus  coming.  And 
Lazarus,  when  in  a  few  hours  delirium  seized 
him,  rent  our  hearts  with  grief,  by  calling  in- 
cessantly the  name  of  his  friend,  the  teacher. 
And  before  daybreak  he  was  dead. 

"According  to  our  custom,  he  was  buried, 
at  once,  in  the  family  tomb  at  the  bottom  of 
the  garden.  And  we  two  sat  silent,  hand  in 
hand,  waiting  for  Jesus. 


192  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

"  *If  he  had  only  been  here,  our  brother 
would  not  have  died, '  we  wailed. 

' '  But  we  did  not  blame  him,  only  it  seemed 
that  we  must  see  his  face. 

''The  news  reached  Jesus,  it  seems,  among 
the  sheepf olds,  far  east  of  the  Jordan.  There 
was  a  whole  day  of  necessary  duty  before  he 
could  even  start.  Then  he  spoke  to  the 
Twelve. 

'*  'We  must  go  back  into  Judea  again,'  he 
told  them. 

"  'Rabbi,'  they  said  earnestly,  'the  Jews 
were  only  just  now  trying  to  stone  you.  Are 
you  going  there  again?' 

"With  drawn,  sad  face  he  said  gently,  'Our 
friend  Lazarus  has  fallen  asleep.  I  am  going 
there  to  wake  him. ' 

"  'But  if  he  is  resting  in  sleep,  he  will  get 
well, '  said  Peter,  misunderstanding  him. 

"  'Lazarus  is  dead,'  he  answered  softly. 
'Let  us  go  to  him.' 

' '  Still  they  held  back.  It  might  mean  death 
to  them  all. 

"Then  Thomas,  an  obstinate  fellow,  hard 
to  convince,  but  trusty  and  brave,  said  im- 
pulsively. 

"  'Come!  Let  us  all  go,  and  die  with 
Jesus. ' 

"The  fourth  day  after  our  brother  was 
buried,  Martha  was  coming  up  the  garden- 
walk  from  the  tomb,  when  she  saw  a  figure 


THREE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED  193 

pass  silently  and  swiftly  under  the  arbor.  It 
was  John. 

**  'Jesus  is  near!'  he  said,  'Come  out  quiet- 
ly and  meet  him.'  For  a  company  of  our 
relatives  and  friends  from  Jerusalem  was 
sitting  about  the  house-door,  lamenting. 

''A  little  way  up  the  hill  she  met  Jesus,  who 
had  hastened  on  ahead  of  the  others. 

*'  'Oh,  Master!'  she  burst  forth  the  one 
thought  of  those  past  long  days :  '  If  you  had 
been  here,  my  brother  would  not  have  died ! ' 
And  as  she  looked  into  his  deep  eyes  and  ma- 
jestic face,  she  added  in  unreasoning  depend- 
ence, 'Even  now,  I  still  feel  that  God  grants 
you  whatever  you  ask  him. ' 

"  'But,  Martha,'  said  Jesus  with  a  strange 
note  of  courage, '  your  brother  is  going  to  rise 
again. ' 

"  'I  know  he  will,'  she  said  confidently— 
'at  the  Resurrection  of  the  Last  Day.' 

"  '  I  am  the  Resurrection ! '  he  said.  '  Those 
who  believe  in  me  will  never  die. ' 

"  'Yes,  Master,'  she  said,  'I  have  learned 
to  believe  that  you  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  the  very  one  that  was  to  come  into  the 
world. ' 

"She  hurried  into  the  house,  where  I  sat, 
holding  the  precious  spikenard,  with  which— 
I  knew  not  why— I  had  still  hesitated  to  anoint 
my  brother's  body. 

"  'Mary,'  she  whispered  to  me  gently,  'the 
Master  is  here  and  he  is  asking  for  you.' 


194  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

*'I,  too,  clasped  his  knees  and  spoke  the 
same  fruitless  wish  as  my  sister. 

''  'Where  have  you  buried  himT  Jesus 
asked  me  at  once.  He  could  not  bear  to  enter 
the  house  where  he  had  once  been  so  happy. 

"  'Come,  Master,  and  see,'  I  answered. 

"Down  beneath  the  arbor  and  through  the 
flower-beds  among  which  he  had  walked  so 
often,  we  led  him,  the  other  mourners  follow- 
ing at  a  distance. 

"He  stood  a  moment  at  the  stone  door  of 
the  tomb,  over  which  I  had  hung  garlands  of 
flowers  from  the  garden  and  field. 

"The  dear  memory  of  the  boy  he  loved, 
our  heart-broken  grief,  overcame  him. 

"Jesus  burst  into  tears. 

' '  The  mourners,  who  had  never  seen  Jesus 
give  way  to  any  sorrow,  whispered  to  each 
other,  '  How  he  must  have  loved  him ! ' 

"He  whispered  to  Martha,  'Have  the  stone 
door  rolled  open.' 

"  'But,  Master,'  she  whispered  back,  hor- 
rified that  Jesus  should  wish  to  look  upon  the 
body  that  had  already  changed  so  much,  'You 
forget  that  he  has  been  dead  four  days.' 

"  'Believe  in  me,'  he  said  calmly,  'and  you 
shall  witness  the  glory  of  God.' 

"His  form  stirred  as  if  with  an  inbreath- 
ing of  divine  majesty,  he  looked  upward, 
whispered  a  sentence  of  thanksgiving,  and 
then  with  a  loud  voice  said, 

"  'Lazarus,  come  here!' 


THREE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED  195 

*'And  out  from  the  dark  cave,  wrapped  in 
white,  our  boy  came,  and  knelt  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus. ' ' 

A  few  days  after  this  Jesus  came  up  to  his 
last  Passover. 

Few  expected  him,  for  it  was  becoming 
known  that  the  leaders  had  determined  that 
Jesus  must  die.  But  he  came,  openly  and 
boldly,  and  nearly  a  week  before  the  great 
day  of  the  festival. 

In  the  largest  house  in  Bethany  he  was 
given  a  dinner.  Martha  was  now  a  bride. 
The  wedding,  which  had  been  interrupted  by 
her  brother's  sickness,  had  been  celebrated 
with  joy,  and  the  husband,  one  of  those  whom 
Jesus  had  cured,  was  as  eager  as  she  to  do 
honor  to  their  benefactor. 

It  was  a  family  gathering,  and  the  Twelve 
were  also  included  in  the  invitation. 

Jesus  occupied  the  seat  of  honor,  and  at 
one  side  of  him  was  Simon,  the  host,  and  at 
the  other  reclined  Lazarus.  Martha,  eager  as 
ever  to  be  hospitable,  served  her  guests,  with 
Mary  as  her  helper.  Was  there  ever  a  hap- 
pier home  than  this  on  that  springtime  even- 
ing, with  the  dearly  loved  boy,  snatched  from 
the  gates  of  death,  seated  close  to  the  Master  ? 

But,  as  Mary  stood  at  one  side  and  watched 
the  laughing  company  when  her  work  was 
done,  a  deeper  grief  than  any  she  had  yet 
known  blanched  her  face. 


196  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Jesus  had  told  her,  as  he  had  told  the 
Twelve,  that  he  was  about  to  die,  and  that 
the  time  was  near,  even  at  this  Passover.  The 
others  felt  the  danger,  but  they  trusted  their 
Master's  power  so  much  that  they  felt  sure 
he  was  going  to  turn  his  hazard  into  a  more 
startling  triumph. 

But  as  she  looked  upon  his  tired  yet  tran- 
quil face,  his  faded,  travel-worn  garments, 
and  his  feet,  hardened  and  sore  with  his  long 
and  loving  pilgrimages,  she  realized  that  this 
man  of  sorrows  was  very  near  his  death. 

She  rushed  to  her  own  room  in  tears.  As 
she  dried  her  eyes  and  started  to  return, 
something  she  saw  gave  her  a  fresh  thought. 
She  had  accidently  laid  her  hand  upon  the 
little  white  jar  of  priceless  spikenard  that  had 
been  bought  for  her  brother's  body.  A  sweet 
impulse  seized  her. 

She  returned  to  the  dining-room  and  knelt 
at  Jesus '  feet,  behind  his  couch,  so  softly  that 
no  one  noticed  her. 

But  suddenly  the  rarest  of  perfumes  filled 
the  whole  chamber. 

She  was  pouring  the  cruse  of  liquid  gold 
over  his  hair  and  covering  his  hot  feet  with 
the  cooling  ointment. 

A  look  of  glad  pride  was  in  the  eyes  of 
Martha  and  Lazarus  when  they  knew  of  their 
sister's  generous  act.  The  disciples  of  Jesus 
were  touched  by  the  love  to  their  leader  thus 
displayed.    John,  especially,  sat  smiling,  tho 


THREE  WHOM  JESUS  LOVED  197 

tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  like  rain.  And  the 
face  of  Jesus  shone  with  unaccustomed  radi- 
ance. 

But  it  was  not  so  with  all. 

Judas,  the  fellow  Judean  of  Martha  and 
Mary,  had  no  kinship  of  spirit  with  them. 
With  a  voice  intended  to  be  politely  insolent 
he  leaned  across  the  table  and  snarled : 

"Why  has  the  perfume  been  wasted  like 
this?  It  could  have  been  sold  for  more  than 
thirty  pounds,  and  the  money  given  to  the 
poor." 

Meanness  expressed  always  arouses  more 
meanness,  and  instantly  there  was  a  murmur 
of  voices  that  caught  up  the  mock  benevolence 
that  concealed  real  avarice. 

Then  Jesus  said  quietly  but  incisively  to 
Judas, 

"Leave  her  in  peace.  Why  do  you  grieve 
her  thus  to  the  heart?  A  deed  bonny  and 
sweet  to  my  eyes  is  this  that  she  has  done  for 
me.  You  always  have  the  poor  with  you  and 
whenever  you  like  you  can  do  good  to  them, 
but"— here  he  paused— "you  will  not  always 
have  me.  She  has  done  what  she  was  able. 
She  has  come  beforehand— thus  to  anoint  my 
body  for  my  burial." 

Then,  laying  his  hand  softly  on  her  bowed 
head  he  said, 

"And  do  you  know  that,  wherever  in  the 
whole  world  the  Good  News  is  proclaimed, 


198  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

even  this  that  she  has  done  will  be  told  in  her 
memory. ' ' 

The  joy— which  the  harsh  words  of  Iscariot 
had  interrupted— again  flowed  on.  The  even- 
ing closed  with  singing.  The  Twelve  left  the 
house,  chanting  one  of  the  Passover  Psalms, 
and  Jesus  stood  in  the  doorway  on  the  hill 
with  the  two  sisters  and  Lazarus  and  watched 
his  sturdy  Twelve  walk  down  the  path  in  the 
soft  paschal  moonlight,  until  he  could  only 
barely  hear  the  closing  words  of  their  hjTnn : 
* '  Precious  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord 

Is  the  death  of  his  faithful. 

******* 

I  will  pay  my  vows  to  the  Lord 

******* 

In  the  midst  of  thee,  0  Jerusalem.'* 


XIX 
THE    TRIUMPHAL    PROCESSION 

A  COMPANY  of  priests  was  standing  in  the 
priests'  court  of  the  temple  on  Sunday  of  the 
Passover. 

They  were  talking  about  Jesus. 

The  marvelous  deed  at  Bethany  was  al- 
ready known.  Lazarus  had  already  been 
visited  and  even  threatened  with  death  unless 
he  should  preserve  silence.  The  incompre- 
hensible teacher  had  been  heard  of  here  and 
there  near  the  city,  but  he  had  already  been 
warned  that  the  Sanhedrin  would  not  endure 
any  attempt  by  him  to  make  a  public  appear- 
ance at  Jerusalem.  But  with  all  this  bravado 
there  was  considerable  anxiety  among  the 
rulers.  Too  well  they  knew  the  power  that 
Jesus  had  already  won  among  the  people, 
even  at  Jerusalem.  The  only  question— the 
question  of  their  own  very  safety— was,  How 
would  he  use  it? 

They  said  to  each  other,  ''What  do  you 
think?  Is  it  possible  that  he  will  not  come 
to  the  festival?" 

Even  while  they  were  talking,  an  unusual 
stir  was  heard  in  the  outer  court,  and  a  throng 


200  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

of  people  was  seen  pressing  out  of  the  East- 
ern, or  Beautiful,  Gate. 

They  hastened  to  the  stairway,  and,  climb- 
ing to  the  portico*  roof,  they  looked  off 
across  the  valley. 

They  saw  a  most  remarkable  sight. 

That  morning  early  Jesus  had  come  from 
Martha's  home  to  the  nearby  camping-place 
of  his  friends,  and  had  said  quietly  to  John 
and  James : 

' '  Go  over  to  the  village  facing  you  and  you 
will  soon  find  an  ass  tied  up  there,  with  a  foal 
by  her  side.  Unfasten  them  and  bring  them 
to  me.  And  if  anybody  says  anything  to  you, 
you  are  to  say,  'The  Teacher  requires  them,' 
and  he  will  send  them  at  once. ' ' 

This  command  produced  the  greatest  excite- 
ment among  the  Twelve. 

''Their  leader  was  going  to  ride  into  his 
capital ! ' ' 

The  word  soon  spread  among  the  great 
company  of  Galileans,  many  of  whom  were 
still  faithful  to  Jesus.  Among  them  were  his 
mother  and  his  brothers,  who  were  on  their 
way  to  the  festival. 

When  Jesus  finally  left  the  home  of  Martha 
on  foot  he  found  the  roadway  lined  with  many 
familiar  figures.  As  he  mounted  the  ass,  a 
graceful  white  animal,  entirely  unbroken,  the 
enthusiasm  grew,  and  their  fear  of  the  rulers 
was  so  far  forgotten  that  a  number  began  to 
shout  snatches  of  the  Passover  hymns.    The 

*  SeeNi'te  12. 


THE  TRIUMPHAL  PROCESSION  201 

excitement  was  so  great  that  they  did  not 
stop  to  notice  that  he  was  not  assuming  the 
role  of  an  invading  conqueror.  For,  if  he 
had  wished  to  do  that  he  would  have  chosen 
a  war-horse,  not  a  beast  of  peaceful  burdens ; 
he  would  have  dressed  in  armor  and  carried 
a  sword.  Instead,  he  wore  his  faded  peasant's 
cloak,  and  his  riding  the  ass  implied  not  that 
he  was  an  invader,  but  that  he  was  a  king 
already  crowned,  who  was  riding  home  to 
his  capital  in  peace. 

As  they  went  on  over  the  top  of  the  hill  by 
the  southern  roadway,  still  out  of  sight  of  the 
city,  the  pilgrims  camping  on  the  mountains 
rushed  up  from  before  and  on  either  side  to 
meet  the  procession.*  It  was  only  when  the 
whole  company  had  rounded  the  hill  and  come 
out  on  a  ledge  of  rock,  that  the  city  of  David 
sprang  into  view,t  and  it  was  then  that  the 
curious  priests  on  the  temple  portico  saw  the 
cause  of  all  the  tumult.J 

They  saw  Jesus  in  the  midst,  distinguished 
by  his  white  cloak  and  the  white  beast,  paus- 
ing at  this  first  view  of  the  Holy  City.  Close 
to  him  stood  his  Twelve.  All  around  was  a 
great  multitude,  some  of  whom  had  snatched 
palm  branches  from  the  gardens  on  either 
side,  others  of  whom,  lacking  any  other  trib- 
ute, had  spread  their  cloaks  in  the  road  as  a 
carpet  before  his  progress. 

''See!"  shouted  one  of  the  priests  on  the 

»  See  Note  31.       +  See  Note  30.       t  See  Note  32. 


302  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

portico  roof  to  the  rest,  pointing  with  his 
arm  to  the  mountain-side  crowded  with  peo- 
ple. ''You  have  made  no  headway.  Look! 
The  whole  world  has  gone  after  him!" 

The  meaning  of  the  procession  was  as  plain 
as  words  can  speak.  A  Jewish  king  was  com- 
ing again  to  his  capital  as  if,  without  blood- 
shed, the  days  since  David  had  been  obliter- 
ated! 

The  captain  of  the  temple-watch  sounded 
the  ''assembly"  to  his  company,  and  the  mea- 
ger city  garrison  in  the  fort  close  by  was 
posted  in  readiness  for  an  uprising  from 
within,  or  a  concerted  attack  from  without 
the  walls. 

Even  among  those  who  walked  beside  Jesus 
there  were  some  of  the  Pharisees  who  fore- 
saw at  once  the  peril  of  the  situation.  A  sin- 
gle false  step  on  Jesus'  part  and  there  would 
be  a  massacre. 

Already  the  cries  of  the  multitude,  at  first 
mere  expressions  of  wishes  of  good-luck  or 
hilarious  shouts  of  "Hosanna!,"  had  grown 
to  one  united  and  fearful  roar. 

"Blessed  is  the  One  who  is  Coming— our 
King!"  and, 

"God  bless  him!  Blessed  is  the  kingdom 
of  our  Father  David ! ' '  the  people  were  shout- 
ing. 

"Teacher!"  yelled  the  Pharisees  in  alarm, 
close  to  his  ear.  "Keep  your  followers  still! 
There  will  be  murder ! ' ' 


THE  TRIUMPHAL  PROCESSION  203 

But  Jesus  knew  that  when  the  mob  better 
understood  his  purpose,  there  would  be  no 
bloodshed. 

Already  his  face  had  taken  on  a  deeper  sad- 
ness. As  they  rounded  the  mountain,  and 
saw  the  gray  city  rising  out  of  the  deep  chasm 
beneath  them,  surrounded  by  its  ring  of  iron 
hills,  the  whole  assembly  was  struck  dumb  by 
the  sublimity  of  the  scene.  There,  terrace  on 
terrace,  within  the  ancient  walls  of  stone, 
climbed  houses,  palaces,  fortresses  and  public 
buildings,  while  in  front  of  all,  the  gem  of 
which  the  rest  was  but  the  setting,  shone  the 
Holy  House,  beneath  the  splendor  of  the  noon- 
day sun,  a  mass  of  snow  and  gold. 

And  now,  they  thought,  all  this  was  to  be 
snatched  from  Rome  by  one  blow,  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  psalms  of  old,  through  those 
''everlasting  doors"  of  stone  ''the  King  of 
Glory"  was  to  enter  in. 

With  one  accord  the  great  assembly  on  the 
hillslope  looked  toward  their  king  and  await- 
ed his  action.  Would  he  raise  his  hand  now 
and  cause  the  walls  to  crumble  that  he  might 
ride  over  them,  or  would  he  rather,  as  many 
of  them  expected,  suddenly  expand  the  Holy 
City  by  a  miracle  until  it  should  cover  all 
Judea? 

There  was  not  even  upon  his  face  a  look  of 
jubilation. 

Instead,  his  head  was  bowed  in  his  hands. 

They  were  not  womanish  tears  of  weakness ; 


204  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

he  was  wailing  aloud,  as  men  in  those  days 
wailed  for  the  dead.  And  amid  his  cries  they 
heard  him  prophesying— what  took  place  in 
the  lifetime  of  many  of  them— the  awful  de- 
struction and  slaughter  of  the  city  by  the 
Eomans. 

It  was  an  angry,  a  completely  disappointed 
company  that  trooped  down  the  hill.  When 
Jesus  dismounted  at  the  spot  where  beasts 
of  burden  were  denied  admission  to  the  city, 
all  the  crowd  but  the  Galileans  had  deserted 
him.  And  when  the  alert  and  alarmed  Roman 
captain  with  the  anxious  priests  by  his  side 
leaned  over  the  portico  by  the  city  gate  and 
asked  who  this  was  under  escort,  even  they 
forgot  all  about  their  tributes  to  his  royalty 
and  faltered  out  tamely,  ''It  is  the  prophet — 
Jesus— from  Nazareth— in  Galilee." 

This  was,  on  the  whole,  the  bravest  deed  in 
Jesus'  life.  It  was  needful  to  do  just  what 
he  did.  In  some  way  he  must  enter  the  Holy 
City.  He  claimed  to  be  king  of  the  kingdom 
of  God,  the  kingdom  which  all  his  people  ex- 
pected and  which  none  of  them  understood. 
Should  he  go  in  alone  1  That  would  deny  his 
kingship.  Should  he  lead  in  an  army?  That 
would  prove  him  a  traitor  to  the  real  kingdom 
of  heaven.  The  only  other  way  was  to  claim 
the  kingship  and  claim  it  for  just  what  it  was, 
the  kingdom  of  peace  and  love  and  sacrifice, 
and  let  the  world  think  of  him  the  worst  it 
chose. 


THE  TRIUMPHAL  PROCESSION  205 

He  made  his  claim,  and  he  never  feared 
the  consequences.  Whether  he  should  fail 
never  troubled  Jesus,  but  only  whether  he 
should  do  his  work  well. 

That  night  the  Twelve  were  utterly  dis- 
heartened. They  had  secured  arms,  begun 
the  organization  of  companies  and  sounded 
the  people  as  to  their  readiness  for  a  patriotic 
uprising.  And  now  their  Master  had  made 
all  this  work  of  no  account.  The  priests  and 
Pharisees  were  jubilant.  Jesus  had  lost  the 
confidence  of  the  multitude.  The  populace 
did  not  wish  him  to  come  to  any  harm,  but  if 
he  could  be  detached  from  his  faithful  Twelve 
and  hurried  to  trial  and  sentence,  the  rulers 
could  put  him  out  of  the  way  before  the  multi- 
tude had  time  to  interfere. 

That  very  night  the  way  to  do  this  began 
to  open.  Judas  Iscariot,  who  had  come  to 
Jesus  chiefly  because  he  believed  that  Jesus 
was  going  to  bring  in  Israel's  restoration  to 
power,  was  so  chagrined  at  the  events  of  this 
day,  so  angry  at  Jesus  for  what  he  thought 
was  a  betrayal  of  his  own  sacrifices  in  giving 
up  his  life  to  become  a  companion  of  those 
rough  Galileans,  so  disappointed  to  find  that 
he  was  never  to  cut  any  figure  in  the  world, 
that  he  determined  to  have  revenge. 

The  Twelve  had  already  begun  to  distrust 
him,  because  of  his  petty  dishonesty  with  their 
common  purse.  Any  possible  influence  as 
their  leader  and  spokesman  had  been  crushed 


206  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

by  Jesus'  knowledge  and  rebuke  of  him  at 
Bethany. 

A  snake,  when  it  is  approached  by  one  it 
fears,  strikes,  blindly  and  fiercely,  and  Judas, 
into  whom  the  serpent  spirit  had  entered, 
waited  now  in  the  company  of  Jesus  only  for 
one  opportunity  to  strike  him  down. 


IN  THE  DEN  OF  THE  WOLVES 

If  ever  a  general  had  a  reason  for  a  re- 
treat, Jesus  had  now. 

He  had  witnessed  for  his  kingdom,  and 
thousands  had  seen  and  heard  him.  Now  he 
might  retire  and  wait  for  his  nation  to  ap- 
preciate the  noble  faith  he  stood  for. 

Or  he  could  meantime  go  to  other  lands. 
That  very  day  a  company  of  Greeks  had 
come  to  him  in  the  temple  to  entreat  him  to 
visit  their  country.  Once  more  the  gleam  of 
victory  among  other  peoples  shone  before 
him. 

''No,"  he  replied.  ''The  time  is  come  for 
me  to  enter  on  my  glory.  Those  who  love 
their  own  lives,  lose  them.  Yet  I  am  indeed 
perplexed.  .  .  .  What  shall  I  say?  'My 
Father,  bring  me  safe  out  of  this  hour  of 
trial?'  No,  for  it  was  for  this  very  thing 
that  I  came  to  this  time.  I  must  say : '  Father, 
honor  thine  own  name. '  ' ' 

He  would  not  flee,  he  might  not  even  teach 
elsewhere,  he  must  not  give  up  his  task.  Here 
he  must  honor  God,  even  if  it  cost  him  his  all. 

The  next  morning  he  walked  directly  into 


208  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

the  temple  and,  coming  into  the  Foreign 
Court,  saw  again  the  crowd  of  hucksters  buy- 
ing and  selling  in  the  open  court.  Again  he 
burst  upon  them  and  drove  them,  dumb- 
founded, from  the  gates,  and  as  he  returned 
with  flashing  eyes,  into  the  Jewish  Court,  to 
say  his  prayers,  a  troop  of  choir  boys,  who 
were  just  coming  from  the  service  of  morn- 
ing prayer  and  who  had  seen  his  noble  act, 
met  him  and  hailed  him  with  cheers. 

''Hail  to  the  Son  of  David!" 

At  the  same  moment  several  of  the  priests 
rushed  out  from  their  inner  court  to  hush 
them,  and  angrily  said  to  Jesus, 

''Don't  you  hear  what  these  boys  are  say- 
ing?" 

"Yes,"   said  Jesus   boldly,   shielding   the 
frightened  lads  with  his  arm,  "and  did  you 
never  read  in  the  old  song  these  words, 
'Out  of  babes'  and  sucklings'  mouths 
Thou  hast  produced  Thy  perfect  praise?'  " 

The  next  day,  Tuesday,  he  was  again  early 
in  the  temple,  which  was  now  so  full  of  his 
open  enemies,  planning  his  death,  that  it  was 
a  very  den  of  wolves. 

While  they  were  awaiting  the  right  chance 
to  spring  upon  him,  they  determined  to  un- 
dermine him  still  further  with  the  people  by 
outwitting  him  before  them  all. 

Out  to  the  pleasant  grassy  terrace  where  he 
loved  to  walk  and  where  there  was  always  a 


IN  THE  DEN  OF  THE  WOLVES  209 

company  of  pilgrims,  they  sent  their  keenest 
and  most  skilful  debaters. 

One  after  another  they  came  at  him  with 
sudden  questions,  which  they  were  sure  would 
cause  the  simple,  uneducated  Galilean  to  show 
either  his  ignorance  or  his  helplessness. 

The  Pharisees  sent  their  committee.  They 
chose  the  most  honest  as  well  as  the  most 
brilliant  teacher  of  the  law  they  could  find,  to 
examine  Jesus. 

''Teacher,"  said  he,  "which  is  the  great 
command  of  the  Law  1 ' ' 

This  was  not  a  quibble.  It  was  a  test  as 
to  whether  he  knew  his  Old  Testament. 

When  Jesus  answered,  he  summed  up  in 
two  sentences  all  the  laws  of  his  kingdom. 

Jesus  said  to  him,  '^Thou  shalt  love  the 
Lord  thy  God  with  thy  whole  heart,  and  ivith 
thy  ivhole  soul,  and  ivith  thy  tvhole  mind. 
This  is  the  great  and  first  command.  And  a 
second  like  unto  it  is  this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these  two  commands 
hang  the  whole  law,  and  the  prophets. ' ' 

Even  the  scribe  who  asked  the  question  was 
carried  beyond  himself  by  such  a  magnificent 
reply. 

"Well  said,  sir!"  he  exclaimed.  "To  do 
as  you  have  spoken  is  indeed  far  beyond  all 
burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices. ' ' 

Jesus  was  not  accustomed  to  praise,  espe- 
cially from  such  a  source.  But  he  answered 
courteously  and  heartily, 


210  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

''Sir,  you  are  not  far  from  God's  king- 
dom. ' ' 

But  the  Pharisees  wished  their  representa- 
tive had  asked  something  else. 

Then  came  to  meet  him  the  high  priest,  sur- 
rounded by  a  retinue  of  the  Sanhedrin  and 
the  priests. 

The  people  made  respectful  obeisance  as 
this  honorable  procession  of  the  gentry  filed 
out.    They  seated  themselves  on  the  terrace. 

Caiaphas  summoned  Jesus  to  stand  before 
him,  as  if  he  were  a  culprit. 

But  he  did  not  look  like  one,  and  he  was 
not  frightened. 

The  unlearned  teacher  from  Galilee  stood 
in  his  country  dress  before  the  shrewd  and 
accomplished  prelate,  his  white  silk  robe 
sparkling  with  the  jewels  of  his  office. 

"Wliat  right  have  you,"  Caiaphas  said 
sternly,  ''to  act  as  you  do!  Who  gave  you 
this  right?" 

The  religious  leaders  claimed  that  nobody 
had  any  right  to  teach  religion  without  a  li- 
cense from  themselves. 

But  had  God  never  sent  any  teachers  ex- 
cept the  ones  they  had  authorized? 

"Sir,"  said  Jesus  quietly.  "I  also  have  a 
question  to  ask  you.  If  you  tell  me,  then  I 
will  answer  you.  It  is  about  John's  baptism. 
Was  it  from  God  or  from  man?  Answer  me 
that." 

John  had  certainly  been  a  staunch  witness 


IN  THE  DEN  OF  THE  WOLVES  211 

to  Jesus '  authority,  and  John  had  never  both- 
ered to  get  a  license  for  what  he  should  say. 

The  question  itself,  indeed,  was  like  a  thun- 
derclap. Instantly  the  priests  began  jabber- 
ing around  Caiaphas. 

*'Why,  sir,"  they  said,  "if  we  say  'from 
God,'  then  he  will  say,  'Then  why  didn't  you 
believe  in  him?'  " 

''Yes,"  said  others,  "and  if  we  say  'from 
man,'— look  at  the  people!  They  believe 
John  was  a  prophet. ' ' 

Jesus  stood  quietly  smiling. 

Pretty  soon  two  of  the  doctors,  in  a  very 
shamefaced  way,  stammered  out. 

"We— we  don't  know." 

"I,  too,"  said  Jesus,  "refuse  to  answer 
you." 

After  they  had  all  hastily  slipped  away,  a 
group  of  Herodians,  Jews  who  were  toadies 
at  the  Roman  court,  came  out  here,  where  the 
onlookers  by  this  time  were  awaiting  with  in- 
terest the  sword-play  of  this  keen  and  uneven 
duel. 

"Teacher,"  they  said,  pretending  that  they 
were  well-meaning  citizens  in  perplexity,  "we 
know  that  you  are  a  true  and  loyal  man,  and 
that  you  honestly  teach  God's  word  and  are 
not  afraid  of  anybody.  So,  tell  us  your  opin- 
ion. Is  it  well  to  pay  taxes  to  the  emperor  or 
not?    Shall  we  give  or  shall  we  refuse?" 

They  said  to  each  other,  "Now  we've  got 
him!    If  he  says  'No,'  we'll  arrest  him  for 


212  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

treason.  If  lie  says,  'Yes,'  our  patriotic  com- 
mon people  will  desert  him. ' ' 

He  saw  through  their  shrewdness.  ''You 
hypocrites!"  he  retorted  bluntly.  "Why  do 
you  ask  such  a  question  1" 

He  had  no  money,  so  he  added,  ' '  Show  me 
the  coin  with  which  this  tax  is  paid." 

He  held  up  the  silver  shilling  with  the  por- 
trait side  toward  them. 

"Whose  head  and  title  are  these?" 

' '  The  emperor 's. ' ' 

The  very  fact  that  they  used  the  emperor's 
coins  showed  that  they  owed  something  to  his 
protection. 

"Then  what  belongs  to  the  emperor  pay  to 
the  emperor— and  pay  God  what  belongs  to 
God." 

After  that  nobody  cared  to  ask  any  more 
questions. 

Those  who  were  called  the  wisest,  the 
wealthiest,  the  most  religious  people  of  the 
nation,  had  tried  to  trip  up  Jesus,  and  he  had 
completely  muzzled  every  one  of  them. 

Then  Jesus  turned  to  the  people  who  had 
been  listening  and  said, 

"These  teachers  and  Pharisees  have  sat 
down  in  the  chair  of  Moses.  All  things,  there- 
fore, they  bid  you  do,  practise  and  lay  to 
heart.  But  don't  you  follow  their  example, 
for  they  preach  but  they  don't  practise." 

He  turned  back  to  the  Pharisees  and  thus 
fiercely  addressed  them : 


IN  THE  DEN  OF  THE  WOLVES  213 

''Woe  for  you!  Rabbis  and  Pharisees,  you 
hypocrites !  You  shut  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
in  men's  faces.  You  neither  go  in  yourselves 
nor  do  you  let  those  who  would  go  in  do  so. 
You  are  like  tombs  that  have  been  white- 
washed and  look  lovely  outside,  while  inside 
they  are  filled  with  dead  men's  bones  and 
filth.  Oh,  you  hypocrites!  You  build  tombs 
for  the  Prophets— and  you  are  truly  the  chil- 
dren of  those  who  murdered  the  Prophets. 
God  sends  you  Prophets,  wise  men  and  rabbis. 
Some  of  them  you  will  kill  and  crucify,  and 
some  you  will  flog  in  your  meeting-houses  and 
pursue  from  town  to  town.  Ah !  Fill  up  the 
measure  of  your  forefather's  guilt !  How  can 
you  ever  escape  being  sentenced  to  the  Pit  ? ' ' 

Were  not  these  fearless  words !  The  Phari- 
sees slunk  away  utterly  overcome,  for  they 
were  every  one  true.  And  the  people,  seeing 
the  victory  of  Jesus,  surrounded  him  with 
congratulations.  There  were  just  a  few  even 
of  the  Pharisees,  like  this  honest  doctor  who 
had  last  questioned  him,  who  were  convinced 
that  Jesus  was  right,  and  that,  tho  he  stood 
alone,  he  stood  for  the  purity  and  goodness 
of  the  nation.  But  they  saw  that  the  forces 
that  were  against  him  were  so  strong  and  so 
hateful  that  they  did  not  dare  to  defend  him. 

Jesus  rose  now  to  leave  the  terrace  and 
the  temple  for  the  last  time.  He  had  said  the 
whole  truth,  and  his  foes  would  never  let  him 
speak  in  those  courts  again. 


214  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

His  victory  over  their  shrewd  meanness 
had  not  made  him  happy,  for  it  only  showed 
how  wicked  man  could  be.  But  one  little 
event  occurred  on  the  way  out  that  so  pleased 
him  as  to  make  up  for  all  the  bitterness  of 
that  day  of  battles. 

He  sat  down  for  a  moment  opposite  the 
chests  where  voluntary  offerings  were 
dropped  by  the  people. 

Pompous  Pharisees  sent  their  golden  coins 
rattling  loudly  down  into  the  boxes,  and  rich 
Herodians  took  the  opportunity,  when  many 
pilgrims  were  passing,  to  toss  in  bags  of 
money. 

Just  then  a  widow  came  by  and  quietly 
dropped  in  two  '  *  farthings ' '  ( about  one-sixth 
of  a  cent). 

Jesus  said  to  Peter  and  John,  as  she  walked 
away, 

''There!  this  poor  widow  has  put  in  more 
than  all  the  rest.  For  the  others  put  in  some- 
thing of  what  they  had  to  spare,  but  she  has 
put  in  all  she  had  to  live  on." 

As  the  Twelve  climbed  the  hill  at  sunset, 
they  turned  and  looked  once  more  at  their 
temple,  whose  walls  now  shone  like  amethyst 
in  the  evening  light. 

''What  fine  stones!  What  splendid  build- 
ings ! ' '  they  exclaimed  with  admiration. 

Then  he  sat  down  beside  them  and  told 
them  what  was  to  come. 

"That  temple  will  be  burned.    That  glori- 


IN  THE  DEN  OF  THE  WOLVES  215 

ous  capital  city  will  be  thrown  down.  You 
yourselves  will  be  driven,  scattered,  into 
every  land,  and  even  there  suffering  and  bit- 
ter death  will  await  you. ' ' 

What  a  prospect  of  defeat! 

But  listen  to  the  undaunted  Nazarene. 
Sacred  buildings  might  be  destroyed,  but,  as 
he  had  told  the  Samaria  woman,  the  true  tem- 
ple of  God  is  man,  and  man,  even  without 
sacred  buildings,  can  worship  God.  And  man 
shall  not  perish. 

' '  By  and  by, ' '  he  said,  '  *  I,  the  Son  of  man, 
will  come  in  glory  and  take  my  seat  on  my 
throne,  and  all  the  nations  will  be  gathered 
before  me,  and  I  shall  separate  men  like  a 
shepherd,  when  he  divides  his  sheep  from 
goats." 

'^Then,"  he  told  them,  ''the  faithful  will 
be  told  that  they  shall  now  enter  into  posses- 
sion of  their  eternal  kingdom,  because  they 
have  fed  and  clothed  and  visited  and  com- 
forted their  King,  on  earth.  But  these  will 
answer  in  surprise,  '  We  do  not  know  that  we 
have  ever  done  any  such  things. ' 

''Then  the  King  will  answer,  'Just  so  far 
as  you  did  so  to  men,  my  brothers,  however 
lowly,  you  did  it  to  Me. '  ' ' 

It  was  dark  wh6n  they  went  over  the  hill- 
top. The  stars  were  just  peeping  out.  They 
did  not  understand  at  all  what  their  Lord 
meant,  but  when,  in  the  after  years,  the  trials 
all  came  true  as  he  had  said,  they  remem- 


216  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

bered,  and,  because  he  had  laid  down  his  life 
for  them,  they  believed  in  him  and  his  prom- 
ise, they  fought  the  Good  Fight,  they  finished 
their  course,  they  kept  the  Faith.  And  the 
whole  world  bows  to-day  in  homage  before 
those  unconquerable  heroes,  the  Apostles  of 
the  King, 


XXI 
A   FEAST  FOR    REMEMBRANCE 

Wednesday  was  a  busy  day  for  Judas. 

Jesus  did  not  go  to  Jerusalem  at  all.  He 
took  much  rest  in  sleep,  he  sat  quietly  on  the 
housetop  or  walked  alone  in  the  garden  and 
the  fields,  and  when  evening  came  he  talked 
cheerfully  with  his  friends  of  Bethany  and 
with  the  Twelve. 

He  was  gathering  his  strength  for  the  last 
battle. 

But  Judas  had  slipped  away  into  the  city 
in  the  morning  and  hurried  stealthily  to  the 
temple.  In  a  small  chamber  there  the  high 
priest  and  his  father-in-law  and  a  few  Phari- 
sees and  doctors  were  sitting  in  informal 
council. 

Hanan  was  saying  for  the  fiftieth  time,  ' '  If 
we  can  only  get  him  suddenly,  away  from  his 
Twelve,  we  will  destroy  him. ' ' 

But  Caiaphas  said,  "We  had  better  not  try 
it  at  the  festival,  or  there  will  be  a  riot  among 
the  people." 

Hanan,  however,  urged  that  if  it  could  be 
accomplished  then,  his  death  would  make  all 
the  deeper  impression. 


218  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

At  this  very  moment  a  servant  entered  and 
announced  that  a  man  was  at  the  door  who 
desired  to  confer  with  them. 

'  *  Show  him  in, ' '  said  Caiaphas  after  a  mo- 
ment's  hesitation.  "If  he  knows  nothing  of 
this,  remember,  we  are  met  on  public  busi- 
ness. But  it  may  be  that  he  brings  us  in- 
formation bearing  on  this  very  matter." 

It  was  Judas. 

As  soon  as  the  conspirators  looked  at  him 
they  were  amazed,  because  they  recognized 
him  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
Twelve. 

Did  he  come  with  a  message  of  conciliation 
from  his  Master  ? 

Alas !  no.  He  was  now  fully  set  on  revenge. 
Jesus'  defiance  of  the  priests,  the  Pharisees 
and  the  Herodians  on  yesterday  had  caused 
him  to  see,  what  the  rest  of  the  Twelve,  who 
were  less  acute,  would  not  see,  that  Jesus 
must  die. 

Judas  was  confident  that  he  had  been  be- 
trayed by  a  deceiver.  He  would  make  peace 
with  the  slayers  of  Jesus  and  thus  secure  his 
own  safety.  He  would  show  this  Galilean  who 
had  defrauded  him  of  a  chance  to  make  his 
life  of  some  consequence  that  it  was  of  enough 
consequence  to  be  that  Galilean's  ruin. 

The  fever  had  so  burned  his  soul  that  he 
was  as  one  possessed. 

It  took  but  a  few  sentences  from  him  for 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  219 

all  present  to  see  that  the  easy  tool  to  their 
opportunity  was  in  their  hands. 

Jesus  would  soon  return  to  the  city.  Judas 
could  find  out  his  movements  in  advance,  he 
would  inform  them  at  once,  they  would  arrest 
him  quietly,  and  before  the  people  had  a 
chance  to  shout  rescue  for  their  persecuted 
deliverer  they  could  be  persuaded  that  he  was 
only  a  condemned  criminal,  an  enemy  to  the 
nation. 

When  it  came  to  settling  the  price  of  the 
bargain,  all  in  the  room  saw  that  they  were 
dealing  with  a  madman. 

''The  price  of  a  slave!  The  price  of  a 
slave ! "  he  kept  crying  in  a  querulous  mono- 
tone. 

And,  as  if  he  were  a  child  to  be  petted  and 
pleased,  they  weighed  out  to  him  at  once  the 
few  pitiful  coins,  only  about  twenty-three  dol- 
lars, which  he  hastily  dropped  into  his  bag, 
and  then  hurried  furtively  away. 

The  next  morning,  Thursday,  the  Twelve 
called  early  at  Martha's  door  and  asked 
Jesus,  who  was  seated  in  the  garden  with  Kis 
friends,  if  he  had  yet  planned  for  the  Pass- 
over celebration. 

He  called  Peter  and  John  to  one  side. 

* '  You  go  into  the  city  and  make  ready  for 
us  all,"  he  said. 

''Wliere  shall  we  go?"  asked  Peter,  who 
was  surprised  that  Jesus  should  venture  to 


220  THE  B6YS'  LIFE.  OF  CHRIST 

expose  himself  in  the  capital  again  at  the 
very  height  of  the  feast. 

Foreseeing  what  was  to  come,  Jesus  had 
already  planned  to  celebrate  the  festival  a 
day  in  advance,  and  had  arranged  a  signal 
with  a  friend  named  Mary,  who  lived  there, 
so  that  he  might  nse  her  upper  chamber  with 
no  danger  to  herself  from  those  who  might 
be  seeking  to  arrest  him. 

"You  go  into  the  city,"  he  said,  and  he  in- 
dicated the  street, '  *  and  there  a  man  carrying 
a  water-jar  will  meet  you.  Follow  him. 
Wherever  he  goes  in,  you  say  to  the  owner 
of  the  house,  'The  Teacher  says:  ''My  time 
is  coming.  Where  is  the  room  for  me  to  eat 
the  Passover  with  my  friends?"  '  He  will 
himself  show  you  a  large  upstairs-room  all 
ready,  and  that  is  where  you  are  to  make 
preparations  for  us." 

Judas,  who  had  resumed  his  outward  calm- 
ness, insisted,  as  treasurer,  on  accompanying 
them,  and  so  the  three  went  away  into  town. 

Judas  Iscariot  bought  the  Passover  lamb 
and  killed  it,  and  after  they  had  made  the 
proper  offerings  at  the  temple  the  three  went 
to  the  house,  where  the  upper  room  was,  to 
roast  it. 

The  young  man  carrying  the  water-jar  as 
a  signal  was  easily  found.  He  led  them  to 
the  outside  stairway  and  showed  them  the 
room.  It  had  been  conveniently  fitted  up  with 
a  low  table  in  the  center  and  three  long 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  221 

couches  arranged  in  horse-shoe  shape  around 
it.  Upon  the  table  they  arranged  the  lamb, 
the  bitter  herbs,  the  unleavened  cakes  and 
several  cups  of  wine. 

When  night  came  they  all,  dressed  in  their 
humble  best,  went  quietly  over  the  hill  to- 
gether. Jesus,  who  knew  that  he  would  not 
return,  lingered  to  say  a  word  of  loving  fare- 
well to  each  of  the  staunch  friends  of  Bethany. 
Bethany  was  home  to  Jesus.  From  his  home 
he  went  out  to  die.  It  was  at  Bethany,  after 
the  trials  all  were  over,  that  he  was  last  seen 
by  men. 

The  young  man  who  had  showed  the  ar- 
ranged signal  in  the  morning,  Mary's  son, 
John  Mark,  met  them  at  the  corner  and 
watched  at  the  foot  of  the  outer  stairway  un- 
til he  was  certain  that  the  little  company 
above  had  not  been  followed. 

Two  of  the  Twelve,  at  the  suggestion  of 
Peter,  had  provided  themselves  with  swords, 
so  that,  in  case  they  were  attacked  at  the 
supper,  they  might  defend  themselves. 

It  was  some  sad  premonition  rather  than 
any  reason  that  caused  them  to  do  this,  for 
the  Passover,  which  was  the  Jewish  New 
Year,  was  supposed  to  be  the  time  when  all 
malice  and  revenge  were  cleansed  away  from 
men's  hearts  as  was  the  old  leaven  of  the  old 
year  from  their  houses. 

But  that  was  not  the  case,  even  among  the 
Twelve, 


222  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

All  the  way  into  town  the  conversation 
among  their  ditferent  groups  had  been  as  to 
the  way  in  which  the  kingdom  would  be  pro- 
claimed. For,  while  no  one  was  so  stupid  as 
not  to  see  the  grave  danger  into  which  Jesus 
had  come  from  having  stirred  up  the  enmity 
of  the  rulers,  it  was  now  the  very  end  of  the 
festival,  which  Jesus  had  plainly  taught  was 
to  be  the  great  one  of  his  life.  They  had 
never  listened  when  he  had  tried  to  tell  them 
that  it  was  at  this  time  he  would  die  for  men. 
The  glamour  of  Sunday's  crowd  was  still  i^i 
their  eyes,  and  they  argued  that  he  who  had 
fed  the  multitude  and  raised  the  dead  could 
at  any  time  at  a  single  word  become  master 
of  Jerusalem. 

This  discussion  naturally  led  to  excited  talk, 
and  heart-burnings  about  the  relative  rank 
which  each  would  have  in  the  new  dynasty. 

Simon  Peter  was  favored  by  the  majority 
as  vice-regent  because  of  his  ability,  which 
had  been  so  generally  acknowledged  among 
them  that  he  had  usually  been  their  spokes- 
man. 

But  James  and  John  stood  by  each  other  as 
brothers.  ' '  We, ' '  said  they,  ' '  have  been  even 
closer  to  Jesus.  We  ought  to  share  the  of- 
fice between  us. ' ' 

According  to  their  law  any  company  of 
friends  might  buy  a  lamb  between  them  for 
this  festival.  In  such  a  case  they  constituted 
for  that  occasion  one  family.     It  was  as  a 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  223 

family  of  brothers,  then,  with  Jesus  as  their 
father,  or  head,  that  they  had  now  come  to- 
gether. Twenty-one  short,  busy,  happy  years 
had  passed  since  as  a  boy  in  his  own  family 
he  had  first  eaten  the  Passover. 

But  when  the  Twelve  entered  the  room  they 
were  so  excited  with  their  dreams  of  a  king- 
dom that  they  forgot,  and,  as  if  this  modest 
chamber  were  a  royal  banquet  room,  they  be- 
gan at  once  to  claim  the  seats  of  honor. 

Jesus,  of  course,  was  offered  the  head  of 
the  table,  which  was  the  central  place  on  the 
left  wing,  then  John  crowded  in  ahead  of  him, 
and  Judas  Iscariot  displaced  James  behind 
him,  while  Simon  Peter,  who  was  of  too  big 
a  mind  to  engage  in  this  petty  fracas,  quietly 
went  across  and  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  oppo- 
site table. 

The  Paschal  supper  opens  with  the  blessing 
of  a  cup  of  wine,  which  is  handed  around  to 
all.  Then  the  head  of  the  family  rises  and 
washes  his  hands. 

After  Jesus  had  washed,  at  the  side  of  the 
room,  they  were  surprised  to  see  him  return, 
in  the  garb  of  a  slave.  His  cloak  was  re- 
moved, a  towel  was  bound  around  his  waist 
and  he  bore  a  basin  of  water  in  his  hands. 

Amidst  perfect  silence  he  came  to  John, 
and,  kneeling  on  the  floor  behind  him,  he 
washed  and  wiped  his  feet.  It  was  the  cus- 
tomary service  rendered  to  guests  at  a  din- 
ner, but  they  could  not  afford  a  servant,  and 


224  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

they  were  too  proud  to  do  any  such  menial 
act  for  each  other. 

This  he  did  for  John,  then  for  Judas,  then 
for  James,  and  so  for  all  the  rest. 

The  Twelve  grew  more  uneasy  as  the  Lord 
went  patiently  around,  fetching  and  carrying 
water,  and  kneeling  beside  each  one.  They 
felt  as  if  they  were  young  children  being  tend- 
ed by  their  father. 

When  he  had  nearly  finished  he  came  to 
Peter,  who  was  bursting  with  indignation. 

''You?  Master!  Were  you  going  to  wash 
my  feet  I "  he  exclaimed. 

''You  may  not  understand  now  what  I  am 
doing,"  Jesus  answered,  "but  you  will  learn 
by  and  by. ' ' 

' '  Never ! ' '  cried  Peter. 

"But  unless  I  wash  you,"  replied  Jesus, 
"you  have  nothing  in  common  with  me." 

"Then,  Master,  not  my  feet  only,  but  my 
hands  and  my  head,  too!"  exclaimed  Peter 
in  earnest  affection. 

When  he  had  put  his  cloak  on  and  reclined 
again  at  the  table  he  spoke  to  them  again. 

"Don't  you  understand  yet  what  I  have 
been  doing?  I  have  given  you  an  example, 
so  that  hereafter  you  may  do  as  I  have  done 
to  you.  The  kings  of  the  Greeks  and  the  Ro- 
mans are  accustomed  to  lord  it  over  them. 
But  it  is  not  to  be  so  with  you.  On  the  con- 
trary, those  who  are  greatest  among  you  must 


From  the  puiiaiiig  liy  I'ord  Mailox  Brown 

CHRIST    WASHING    PETER'S    FEET 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  225 

become  like  the  youngest,  and  the  Chief  is  he 
who  serves. 

''You  are  the  men  who  have  stood  by  me 
in  my  trials.  Just  as  surely  as  the  Father  has 
granted  me  a  Kingdom,  shall  I  assign  you 
places  of  power. 

' '  Yet  this  very  night  they  will  strike  down 
your  Shepherd  and  all  his  Sheep  will  be  scat- 
tered. 

' '  Simon !  Simon !  listen.  The  Tempter  de- 
manded leave  to  sift  you  like  wheat.  But  I 
prayed  for  you,  Simon,  that  your  faith  should 
never  fail.  And  I  look  to  you,  when  you  have 
returned  to  me,  to  strengthen  your  Brothers. ' ' 

Simon  Peter  sprang  to  his  feet. 

''Master!"  he  exclaimed.  "If  every  one 
else  falls  away  from  you,  I  never  will.  With 
you  I  am  ready  to  go  to  the  dungeon,  yes,  and 
to  death,  too." 

The  rest,  too,  excitedly  raised  their  hands 
and  swore  an  oath  of  unbroken  allegiance. 

"And  yet,  Peter,"  said  Jesus  sadly,  "the 
cock  will  not  crow  to-morrow  morning  till  you 
have  three  times  disowned  me." 

Then,  realizing  that  the  fatal  blow  would 
be  struck  that  very  night  and  anxious  for 
their  own  safety,  he  inquired  anxiously  if  any 
of  them  were  armed.  He  was  relieved  to 
learn  that  they  were  thus  prepared. 

It  was  but  a  few  moments  after  Jesus  had 
made  his  astonishing  prophecy  of  Peter 's  im- 


226  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

pending  weakness  that  he  made  another  sad 
forecast. 

As  they  were  eating,  each  reaching  across 
the  table  in  his  turn,  Jesus  said, 

''Look!  The  hand  of  the  man  that  is  be- 
traying me  is  here  beside  me  on  the  table!" 

There  was  an  incredulous  cry.  Every  hand 
was  snatched  away.  What!  His  own  table- 
comrade?  His  guest?  Each  man  looked  at 
his  neighbor  with  terror  and  thought  of  his 
own  weaknesses  with  fear. 

' '  It  is  not  I,  is  it.  Master  I ' '  they  each  asked 
in  grief. 

' '  It  is  one  of  you  Twelve, ' '  said  Jesus. 

Then,  even  Judas,  with  affected  anxiety, 
said,  over  Jesus'  shoulder, 

'at  is  not  I,  is  it.  Master?" 

And  Jesus  whispered  back,  to  show  that  he 
knew  his  treachery,  "It  is— even  as  you  have 
said. ' ' 

Then  Peter,  eager  to  crush  the  traitor  and 
prevent  his  plot,  beckoned  earnestly  to  John 
who  faced  him,  leaning  against  Jesus '  breast, 
to  try  to  find  out  which  one  it  was. 

He  leaned  back  on  Jesus'  shoulder  and 
whispered, 

"Who  is  it.  Master?" 

Jesus  in  a  low  voice  said,  "It  is  the  one  to 
whom  I  shall  give  this  piece  of  bread  after 
dipping  it. ' ' 

The  action  was  not  an  unusual  one.    The 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  227 

father  of  the  family  at  this  time  would  dip  a 
piece  of  bread  with  a  bit  of  the  lamb  in  the 
bitter  herbs  and  hand  it  to  his  oldest  son. 

Jesus  gave  the  morsel  to  Judas,  whisper- 
ing, 

"Whatever  you  are  going  to  do,  make  haste 
with  it." 

The  frightened  traitor  slunk  from  the 
room,  before  Simon  Peter  had  grasped  the 
meaning  of  what  Jesus  had  just  been  doing. 
The  rest  thought  that  he  had  been  asked  by 
Jesus  to  go  on  some  errand  of  mercy. 

Outside,  the  sky  was  completely  overcast, 
and  it  was  through  utter  blackness  that  the 
traitor,  his  life  saved  by  Jesus,  and  he  him- 
self expelled  gently  but  firmly  from  the 
Twelve,  rushed  with  rage  through  the  city  to 
the  temple. 

There  he  met  Hanan,  who,  on  the  ground 
that  he  had  gotten  track  of  a  dangerous  revo- 
lutionist, had  secured  from  Pilate,  the  gov- 
ernor, the  promise  of  a  cohort  of  soldiers. 
To  these  Hanan  added  a  company  of  the  tem- 
ple police. 

Judas,  who  had  learned  that  Jesus  planned 
to  take  the  usual  route  back  to  Bethany,  spent 
the  evening  in  disposing  various  squads  of 
men  at  convenient  points  along  the  southern 
route  from  the  city. 

After  Judas  had  gone  out,  and  the  Pass- 
over meal  was  over,  Jesus  leaned  across  the 


228  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

table  and  took  some  of  the  unleavened  flat 
cakes  and  an  untouched  cup  of  wine. 

They  all  looked  toward  him  with  anticipa- 
tion. 

He  blessed  God,  broke  the  bread  in  pieces, 
and  gave  it  to  them,  saying  as  he  came  to 
each, 

''Take  it  and  eat  it.    This  is  my  body." 

Then  he  took  the  wine  cup  and,  continuing 
in  prayer,  he  carried  it  to  each  one. 

''This,"  he  said,  "is  my  Covenant-blood." 

And  when  they  had  all  eaten  and  drunk  he 
said  simply, 

"Continue  to  do  this  for  a  remembrance  of 
me." 

It  was  the  only  time  he  ever  expressed  any 
anxiety  lest  he  should  be  forgotten.  As  we 
have  seen,  he  left  no  temple,  book  or  organiza- 
tion. But  temples,  libraries  and  kingdoms 
since  that  time  have  perished  and  been  for- 
gotten, while  that  simple  supper  has  survived 
as  his  eternal  memorial.  For,  ever  since  that 
night,  those  who  are  of  the  family  of  Jesus 
have  kept  the  custom,  as  he  wished,  and  this 
household  feast  in  honor  of  his  life  and  death 
is  still  called:  The  Lord's  Supper. 

Before  they  left  the  room  he  told  them 
again  plainly  about  his  death,  using  that  term 
of  special  tenderness  which  had  become  of 
late  his  habit. 

"My  children,"  he  said,  "I  am  going  to  be 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  229 

with  you  only  a  little  while  longer.  You  will 
look  for  me,  but  you  can  not  come  where  I 
am  going.  Love  each  other !  Love  each  other 
just  as  I  have  loved  you.  It  is  by  this  that 
any  one  will  know  that  you  belong  to  me— by 
the  love  you  bear  each  other. ' ' 

''Where  are  you  going,  Master?"  anxious- 
ly cried  Peter. 

' '  Where  you  can  not  follow  now.  But  later 
you  shall  follow  me." 

''Why  can  not  I  follow  you  now,  Master? 
I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  you." 

Then  Jesus  turned  to  the  others  and,  as 
he  saw  their  utter  grief,  he  spoke  those  words 
that  the  whole  world  holds  dear. 

Have  you  ever  been  afraid  to  die?  You 
need  not  be  ashamed  to  confess  it.  Others, 
braver  than  you,  have  shuddered  to  think  of 
the  last  hour.  These  Twelve  were  now  look- 
ing over  the  brink  of  death.  Jesus  was  to 
go  over  and  out  of  sight.  They  would  be 
alone.  Then  soon  they,  too,  must  go,  and 
never  return. 

How  would  Jesus  reassure  them  1 

"Do  not  be  broken-hearted.  Trust  in  God. 
Trust  in  me,  too."  Now  hear  the  Teacher 
speaking  as  a  carpenter:  "There  are  many 
resting  .places  in  my  Father's  House.  I 
should  have  told  you,  had  it  not  been  so.  I 
am  going  there  to  fit  up  a  home  for  you.  And 
if  I  do  go  and  prepare  it,  I  shall  come  back 


230  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

again,  and  I  will  take  yon  with,  me,  so  that 
you  may  be  where  I  am. 

"Now  I  am  going  to  bequeath  yon  some- 
thing. It  is  called— Eest  of  Heart.  I  give  it 
to  you.  I  do  not  give  to  you  as  the  world 
gives.  In  the  world  you  will  find  trouble. 
But  take  courage— I  have  wrestled  with  the 
world,  and  I  have  conquered! 

''Come,  let  us  be  going." 

It  was  midnight  when  they  left  the  upper 
room. 

Young  Mark,  who  had  been  sleeping  be- 
low, awoke  as  he  heard  them  on  the  stairs, 
and,  still  anxious  for  the  Master's  safety,  he 
caught  up  the  linen  bed  coverlet,  threw  it  over 
his  tunic  as  a  shawl  and  followed  after.  Had 
he  not  done  so,  the  events  of  the  next  hour 
would  not  be  known  to  us. 

As  they  walked  down  into  the  Kedron  val- 
ley, Jesus,  seeing  that  they  were  still  over- 
whelmed with  grief,  began  one  of  the  Pass- 
over hymns,  and  the  rest,  with  faltering  notes, 
at  length  joined  in. 

The  woods  were,  as  Jesus  knew,  full  of  sol- 
diers. Judas  was  lurking  near  to  pounce 
upon  him.  Was  there  ever  a  braver  hour 
than  when,  as  the  great  Shepherd  led  his 
sheep  through  the  valley  of  the  Shadow,  he 
flung  that  song  in  the  very  face  of  death! 

As  they  came  to  the  last  ominous  words 
of  the  anthem: 


A  FEAST  FOR  REMEMBRANCE  231 

"Bind  tlie  Sacrifice  with  ropes, 
Even  to  the  horns  of  the  altar, ' ' 
Jesus  turned  aside  into  an  olive  orchard,* 
which  they  had  often  visited,  as  their  camp- 
ing place  for  the  night. 

*  See  Note  33. 


XXII 

WHAT    HAPPENED    IN    THE    OLIVE 
ORCHARD 

Listen  to  John  Mark's  story. 

**The  Twelve  were  quite  exhausted  with 
the  day's  excitement,  and  hardly  had  they 
reached  the  orchard  before  most  of  them  were 
wrapped  up,  on  the  grass,  asleep. 

''But  Jesus  had  already  asked  John  and 
Peter  and  James  to  keep  awake  and  stay  near 
him. 

''  'I  am  sad  at  heart,'  I  heard  him  say 
tenderly,  'sad  even  to  death.  Keep  near  and 
watch  with  me. ' 

"The  clouds  were  now  gone,  and  the  full 
moon  in  all  its  glory  shone  down  on  the  silver 
leaves  of  the  olives. 

"Jesus  withdrew  still  farther  into  the 
shadow  and  threw  himself  on  the  ground  in 
prayer.  Even  the  chosen  three  could  not 
withstand  their  drowsiness,  and  in  a  few  mo- 
ments they,  too,  had  reclined  against  the  trees, 
and  they  fell  asleep. 

"Seeing  the  Master  lying  still  so  long  a 
time,  I  feared  that  he  was  in  a  faint  and,  steal- 
ing by  a  side  path,  I  crept  close  enough  to  him 
to  hear  his  voice. 


WHAT  HAPPENED  IN  THE  ORCHARD    233 

**He  was  in  terrible  pain  of  heart.  All  the 
evening  he  had  thoughtfully  concealed  his 
own  grief  from  any  of  us.  But  he  loved  these 
men  so  much,  tho  they  were  so  weak,  and  he 
was  distressed  to  leave  them.  Still  it  was 
more  than  earthly  partings  that  caused  his 
agony. 

' '  It  was  not  the  fear  to  die. 

*'Wha1i  he  feared  was  not  death  on  the 
cross,  but  that  he  might  die  before  he  reached 
the  cross ;  that  he  might  fail  just  at  the  very 
last  in  his  witness  for  the  Father  to  men, 

''  'Father,'  I  heard  him  whisper,  'if  it  is 
Thy  pleasure,  put  this  cup  from  me. '  But  in- 
stantly I  overheard  him  add  quietly,  'Only, 
not  my  will  be  done— but  Thine.' 

"Time  and  again  he  came  back  to  where 
the  three  were,  in  unbearable  need  for  their 
loving  sympathy,  and  every  time  he  found 
them  asleep  for  weariness  and  grief.  He 
looked  upon  them  with  pity— and  said  softly, 
'How  soundly  you  sleep!  Oh,  rise,  and  be 
at  prayer,  that  you  enter  not  into  temptation. ' 

"As  he  knelt  again,  I  saw  the  sweat  drop 
from  his  anguished  face,  and  it  was  red  with 
blood. 

"But  at  length  he  won  the  victory.  He 
quietly  repeated  the  prayer  that  begins,  'Our 
Father  which  art  in  heaven, '  and  returned 
with  calm  face  through  the  moonlight.  Never 
from  that  hour  through  all  the  last  dreadful 
day  was  his  composure  shaken. 


234  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

' '  There  was  already  the  rustle  of  approach- 
ing feet,  which  marked  time  as  if  they  were 
keeping  step. 

* '  '  Get  up  now, '  he  said,  hurriedly  awaking 
each  one  of  the  Twelve.  'We  must  be  going. 
Listen !    Look !  my  betrayer  is  close  at  hand. ' 

*' Judas  had  tracked  Jesus  to  his  favorite 
resting  place,  had  gathered  the  scattered 
squads  from  the  hill,  and  was  marching  upon 
them  with  several  hundred  men,  all  armed, 
and  carrying  torches  and  lanterns. 

' '  To  cover  the  escape  of  his  friends,  Jesus 
hastened  out  to  the  entrance  of  the  garden. 

''Here  he  met  Judas,  who  had  eagerly 
pressed  ahead. 

"None  of  the  soldiers  knew  Jesus,  so  the 
traitor  had  given  them  a  sign. 

"  'The  man  that  I  kiss  will  be  the  one,'  he 
had  said.    'Take  him  prisoner.' 

"So  he  went  up  to  Jesus  at  once  and  ex- 
claimed, 'Eabbi!  I  am  glad  to  see  you,'  and 
kissed  him  again  and  again,  as  if  with  eager 
affection. 

"  'Friend!'  said  Jesus,  amazed  at  the 
meanness  to  which  the  traitor  could  go,  'is  it 
with  a  kiss  that  you  would  betray  me ! ' 

"Peter  was  the  only  one  who  made  any 
defense.  Indeed,  they  were  overwhelmed  by 
numbers.  Several  of  them  hardly  escaped. 
I  myself  was  easily  found  by  means  of  the 
white  coverlet,  and  it  was  only  by  leaving  it 
in  my  pursuer 's  hands  that  I  got  free. 


WHAT  HAPPENED  IN  THE  ORCHARD    335 

^  *  Seeing  that  by  parleying  with  the  soldiers 
he  might  be  able  to  rescue  all  the  Twelve, 
Jesus  turned  to  the  captain  of  the  guard  and 
said,  'Who  is  it  that  you  are  looking  for?' 

*'  'Jesus  of  Nazareth,'  he  replied. 

* '  '  I  am  he, '  said  Jesus. 

**The  soldiers  eagerly  raised  their  torches 
so  that  they  threw  a  bright  light  upon  the  face 
of  Jesus. 

*' A  look  of  awful  power  flashed  from  Jesus' 
countenance. 

''The  soldiers,  who  had  expected  to  see  a 
frightened  peasant,  skulking  among  the  trees, 
gave  one  glance  at  this  gigantic  and  splendid 
figure  and  started  backward. 

"If  a  king  might  be  known  by  his  appear- 
ance, it  was  a  king  whom  they  were  arresting. 

"  'I  am  Jesus  of  Nazareth,'  he  said  again. 
'If  you  are  looking  for  me,  let  these  others 
go.' 

' '  Satisfied  that  all  of  his  fold  were  safe,  the 
Shepherd  submitted. 

"And  they  loaded  him  with  chains  and 
brought  him  back  to  the  city." 


xxin 

THE   KING  STANDS   BEFORE   KINGS 

It  was  to  Hanan's  house  that  Jesus  was  led. 
He,  more  than  his  weaker  son-in-law,  the  real 
high  priest,  had  secured  Jesus'  capture. 

John,  who,  as  we  know,  owned  a  house  at 
Jerusalem  and  who  had  some  influence  there, 
secured  entrance  for  himself  and  Peter,  and 
they  heard  the  private  examination  of  Jesus. 

The  serving-woman  at  the  door  noticed 
Peter's  country  brogue  and  said, 

'^Wliy,  you  are  one  of  the  man's  followers, 
aren  't  you  ? ' ' 

Peter  looked  around  in  alarm  and,  before 
he  thought,  answered  sharply, 

''No,  I  am  not." 

Then,  lest  he  should  be  questioned  further, 
he  stepped  out  into  the  courtj^ard  and  joined 
the  soldiers  who  were  warming  themselves  in 
front  of  a  bonfire. 

Wliile  this  private  examination  was  going 
on,  messengers,  sent  hurriedly  here  and  there, 
gathered  a  dishevelled  minority  of  the  Sanhe- 
drin,  and  by  two  o'clock  at  night  Jesus  had 
been  led,  still  shackled,  across  the  courtyard 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      337 

to  Caiaphas'  ofl&cial  residence,  and  the  illegal 
Jewish  trial  had  begun. 

They  had  succeeded  in  their  first  plot :  they 
had  Jesus  captive  before  the  people  were 
aware.  The  second  plan  was,  to  get  him  sen- 
tenced to  death  before  the  people  found  it  out. 

But  was  this  easy  to  do"? 

Many  witnesses  had  been  held  in  readiness, 
who  were  now  put  forward  against  him,  tell- 
ing a  confused  story  about  a  threat  that  Jesus 
had  once  made  to  destroy  the  temple,  but  their 
testimony  was  so  trivial  and  contradictory 
that  it  was  ridiculous.  Nobody,  it  is  true,  not 
even  his  comrade  John,  said  anything  in  his 
behalf,  and  the  friendly  councillor,  Nicode- 
mus,  had  not  been  notified  of  the  meeting. 

Finally,  Caiaphas  in  despair  tries  his  last 
move.  He  knows  what  Jesus  claims  to  be. 
Probably  he  will  deny  it  now  that  all  other 
evidence  has  fallen  through,  but  if  he  should 
confess  it— ah!  there  is  a  chance. 

The  high  priest  stood  up. 

''Have  you  no  answer!"  he  said  sternly. 
"What  have  you  to  say  to  the  evidence  that 
these  men  are  laying  up  against  you  1 ' ' 

Jesus  made  no  reply,  as  he  had  made  none 
before  to  the  helpless  statements  of  the  hired 
perjurers. 

The  high  priest  then  continued:  "Raise 
your  right  hand.  Upon  your  oath  now  and 
in  the  presence  of  the  Living  God,  tell  us  the 


238  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

truth:  Are  you  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 
Blessed  r' 

Jesus  might  have  denied,  on  the  ground 
that  these  unbelievers  had  no  business  to  hear 
the  truth.  He  might  have  continued  silent. 
Either  course  would  have  saved  his  life. 

But  he  would  not  deny  his  mission,  even  to 
his  murderers, 

''I  am!"  he  cried  with  hand  upraised  to 
heaven.  ' '  And  ere  long  you  will  see  the  Son 
of  man  seated  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Al- 
mighty. ' ' 

"A¥hat  profanity!  What  need  we  any 
more  testimony!"  cried  the  high  priest  in 
glee,  and  he  tore  his  cloak  in  two,  as  if  to 
show  how  horrified  he  felt  at  this  monstrous 
statement. 

''You  heard  his  wicked  words'?"  he  shout- 
ed.   "What  is  your  verdict  1" 

*'He  deserves  to  die,"  they  all  yelled. 

The  Sanhedrin  had  long  ago  been  deprived 
by  the  Romans  of  any  power  over  men's  lives, 
but  in  their  cruel  rage  and  triumph  these  ven- 
erable councillors  rushed  at  him  as  if  they 
would  themselves  execute  the  sentence  of 
death  forthwith. 

Must  I  tell  you  what  the  leaders  of  his 
nation  did  that  black  night? 

As  he  stood  helpless  with  manacled  hands, 
they  spat  in  his  face,  they  drew  a  cloak  over 
his  head,  and  then  struck  him  in  the  face, 
yelling,  ''Ah!    Now  play  the  prophet.     Tell 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      239 

US  who  struck  you  then. ' '  And  they  even  en- 
couraged the  brutal  soldiers  to  beat  him  with 
their  fists  and  staves. 

Finally,  tired  out  with  their  abuse,  they 
went  home  to  their  breakfast. 

^'-S  they  were  leading  Jesus  out  across  the 
courtyard  again  to  the  dungeon,  Peter,  who 
had  waited  in  the  firelight  all  this  time  in 
dumb  and  frightened  anxiety,  was  at  that  very 
moment  engaged  in  a  dispute  with  the  sol- 
diers. Another  lassie  had  come  up  to  Peter, 
as  he  started  for  the  door,  and  said  to  him, 

''There  is  no  use  denying  it.  You  are  one 
of  that  fellow's  followers.  This  man  here," 
she  said  to  the  others,  ''was  with  the  Naza- 
rene— with  Jesus." 

"Woman,"  he  said  shamefacedly,  "I  don't 
even  know  him. ' ' 

But  another,  a  man-servant,  affirmed  posi- 
tively, 

"Why,  he  was  undoubtedly  with  him.  His 
very  Galilean  tongue  tells  on  him.  Are  you 
not  a  Galilee  man?" 

Then  one  of  the  soldiers  who  had  gone  out 
to  Gethsemane  to  arrest  Jesus,  came  up  close 
to  Peter  and  lifted  his  chin  and  gazed  into  his 
face. 

"Didn't  I  myself  see  you  with  him  in  the 
orchard?" 

Then  Peter  in  utter  terror  began  to  swear 
and  to  curse  as  in  his  old  fisher  days,  and  to 
shout, 


240  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

'^I  never  knew  this  man  you  are  talking 
about. ' ' 

It  was  just  at  this  moment  that  Jesus, 
bound  and  bruised,  was  led  across  the  open 
corridor  connecting  the  two  palaces.  As  he 
passed,  he  looked  Simon  Peter  in  the  eye.  At 
the  same  instant,  on  a  nearby  roost,  a  cock 
crew. 

Peter  was  crushed  as  by  a  blow.  The  cock 
crowing— that  look— the  triple  disowning! 

It  had  all  come  out  as  Jesus  had  said. 

The  disgraced  man  rushed  out  into  the 
morning  light  to  hide  his  shame  and  bemoan 
his  failure. 

Judas  Iscariot  had  been  present  through 
both  hearings.  ' '  Now, ' '  he  had  thought, ' '  the 
priests  will  soon  show  up  this  pretender!" 

But  he  listened  with  amazement.  Even  his 
disordered  brain  could  discern  that  the  cap- 
tive was  perfectly  innocent.  When  he  saw 
Jesus  rise  in  the  old  grandeur  and  once  more 
proclaim  his  kingdom,  amazement  changed  to 
bewilderment.  Was  he  right?  Were  the  lead- 
ers not  onlynmistaken  but  malicious!  Was 
the  Messiah  about  to  be  murdered  by  his  own 
{people?  Was  he  that  Chosen  One's  mur- 
derer? Then,  when  they  began  their  tortures 
and  he  saw  the  man  who  had  stood  by  him 
so  many  times  when  others  had  deserted  him, 
and  even  when  he  was  unworthy  of  himself, 
suffering  such  agony,  he  could  endure  no 
longer.    He  rushed  shrieking  from  the  palace. 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      241 

Before  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
Sanhedrin  was  called  together  in  regular  ses- 
sion in  the  temple.  While  they  were  waiting 
for  Jesus,  Judas  again  appeared  before  them, 
standing  in  the  semicircle,  about  which  they 
were  sitting. 

The  madness  had  left  him,  but  remorse  had 
taken  its  place.  Perhaps  he  hoped  his  con- 
fession would  save  Jesus. 

With  cold,  white  face  he  said,  as  he  laid  his 
purse  containing  the  petty  amount  of  the 
blood-money  upon  the  desk  before  Caiaphas, 
"I  have  done  wrong  in  betraying  this  good 
man  to  death. ' ' 

''What  is  that  to  us  I"  asked  Caiaphas  with 
a  sneer.  "You  must  look  out  for  that  your- 
self." 

Judas  flung  the  bag  upon  the  temple  floor 
and  fled  away. 

What  he  had  done  could  not  be  hindered. 
He  could  not  longer  endure  the  horror  of  his 
own  self.  He  could  not  live  after  his  victim 
was  murdered.  That  very  morning,  while  the 
soldiers  were  nailing  Jesus  to  his  cross,  he 
went  out  to  a  lonely  field  on  the  side  of  a  hill 
south  of  the  city,  which  he  had  intended  to 
purchase  with  the  blood-money,  and  hung 
himself.  And  before  nightfall  his  hideous, 
broken  body  was  found  fallen  from  the  parted 
rope  at  the  bottom  of  a  cliff  by  the  roadside. 

Like  Hanan,  the  high  priest  offered  the 
Sanhedrin  no  evidence,  he  allowed  no  defense. 


242  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

He  simply  secured  from  Jesus  another  oath 
that  he  claimed  to  be  the  Christ  and  said, 
* '  Why  do  we  want  any  more  witnesses  ? ' ' 

Then,  without  any  vote  of  condemnation,  he 
hurried  the  captive  over  to  the  palace  of  the 
Roman  governor. 

They  were  by  no  means  yet  sure  of  their 
purpose.  It  was  all  very  well  to  browbeat  the 
fearful  and  hoodwink  the  ignorant  in  their 
own  body,  but  Pilate  would  demand  legal  evi- 
dence. What  did  this  officer  of  Rome  care 
about  blasphemy?  All  foreign  gods  were 
alike  to  him. 

What  charge  could  they  make! 

Pilate  was  not  pleased  to  see  them,  for  they 
were  old  trouble-makers. 

According  to  their  strict  rules  of  ceremonial 
purity  they  could  not  enter  a  foreigner's 
house  that  sacred  day,  altho  they  could  de- 
file their  own  homes  and  hearts  with  malice 
and  murder. 

Pilate  came  grmnbling  out  upon  his  porch 
to  meet  them. 

''What  is  the  charge  against  this  man?" 
he  said  gruffly. 

They  were  still  perplexed  as  to  what  to  say. 

*'If  he  had  not  been  a  criminal,  we  should 
not  have  handed  him  over  to  you, ' '  answered 
Caiaphas. 

''Well,"  said  Pilate,  starting  to  go  back 
into  his  house,  "take  him  yourselves  then, 
and  try  him  by  your  own  law. ' ' 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      243 

''But  we  have  no  power  to  put  any  one  to 
death,"  they  confessed  in  impotent  rage. 

*'0h,  that  is  what  you  want,  is  it!"  said 
Pilate,  as  he  entered  his  door.  Then  turning 
back  he  said  to  the  soldiers  guarding  Jesus, 

* '  Bring  him  in  here. ' ' 

Away  from  that  noisy  crowd  he  would  soon 
find  if  there  was  anything  at  the  bottom  of 
this. 

He  seated  himself  and  bade  Jesus  stand  be- 
fore him. 

The  evidence  was  repeated  to  him.  He  lis- 
tened without  interest  to  the  confused  and 
pointless  testimony,  until  finally  one  sentence 
caught  his  attention. 

"What's  that!"  he  said.  ''King?  What 
do  you  mean  ? ' ' 

He  turned  and  faced  Jesus  and  looked  him 
over. 

' '  Are  you  the  king  of  the  Jews  ? "  he  asked 
with  a  sneer. 

Remember,  Pilate  had  never  heard  of 
Jesus.  That  shows  how  much  stir  he  had 
made  in  the  world.  It  shows  also  how  little 
interference  he  had  ever  met  from  the  Ro- 
man authorities. 

He  looked  at  him  impartially.  He  saw  sim- 
ply a  Galilean  peasant ;  not  a  wild  revolution- 
ist nor  a  hardened  criminal.  The  man  seemed 
perfectly  harmless. 

''Did  you  suggest  that,"  answered  Jesus 


244  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

quietly,  ''or  have  other  people  said  that  to 
you  about  me  ? ' ' 

''Do  you  take  me  for  a  Jew?"  Pilate  an- 
swered crossly.  "It  is  your  countrymen  and 
your  own  priests  that  have  handed  you  over 
to  me.    What  have  you  been  doing,  now?" 

"My  kingdom,"  said  Jesus  firmly,  "is  not 
one  of  this  world's  kingdoms.  If  it  had  been, 
of  course  my  servants  would  have  been  fight- 
ing to  prevent  my  being  handed  over  to  the 
Jews,  but,  as  it  is,  my  kingdom  is  nothing  of 
that  kind." 

"So  you  are  a  king  after  all!"  exclaimed 
Pilate. 

"Yes.  I  am  King,  as  you  say,"  answered 
Jesus.  "I  was  born  for  this,  I  have  come 
into  the  world  for  this  one  thing— to  bear 
witness  to  the  Truth.  Everyone  who  is  on 
the  side  of  Truth  hears  my  voice. ' ' 

' '  Truth ! ' '  asked  Pilate  scornfully.  ' '  What 
is  that?" 

He  made  up  his  mind  that  Jesus  was  a 
dreamer. 

He  came  out  to  the  waiting  Jewish  rulers 
and  said,  "AVhy,  I  don't  find  a  charge  by 
which  this  man  can  be  held.  I  shall—" 

With  a  shout  they  interrupted  him.  They 
had  thought  up  an  entirely  fresh  accusation. 

"He  is  stirring  up  sedition  by  his  teaching 
all  through  Judea,  starting  from  up  in  Gali- 
lee and  coming  all  the  way  down  here." 
.    "Galilee?"  asked  Pilate.     "Then  I  will 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      245 

send  him  to  King  Herod.  He  belongs  in  his 
jurisdiction." 

Herod  Antipas,  ruler  of  Galilee  and  Perea, 
the  murderer  of  John  the  prophet,  happened 
to  be  in  the  city  at  the  time  of  this  festival, 
and  altho  Pilate  had  not  been  on  good  terms 
with  him,  he  thought  he  saw  a  chance  here  to 
win  over  an  enemy. 

Herod  was  delighted  to  meet  Jesus,  for  he 
had  heard  much  about  him  from  John  the 
Baptizer.  He  had  forgotten  his  own  super- 
stitious fears,  and  it  occurred  to  him  that  he 
might  get  this  strange  Galilean  to  do  some  of 
his  magic  for  his  entertainment. 

But  to  the  slayer  of  his  heroic  friend,  Jesus 
would  not  condescend  a  word. 

Finally  the  silly  king  lost  his  temper  and 
determined  to  have  some  sport  in  one  way  if 
not  in  another.  So  he  sent  for  some  old 
clothes,  and,  dressing  him  up  in  a  ridiculous 
dress  of  bright  colors,  he  made  a  spectacle 
of  him  for  his  courtiers,  and  then  sent  him 
back  in  this  way  through  the  city  streets. 

If  Pilate  had  done  the  just  thing  at  first 
and  released  Jesus  when  he  first  saw  that  he 
was  innocent,  he  would  have  saved  himself 
much  trouble.  But  within  an  hour  Jesus  was 
led  back  to  him  again  and  he  had  his  decision 
to  make  all  over. 

The  more  Pilate  talked  with  Jesus  the  more 
he  was  impressed  by  his  innocence  and  the 
more  he  liked  him.    Jesus  would  not  defend 


246  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

himself,  for  lie  knew  it  was  only  a  waste  of 
words.  When  he  declined  to  alter  or  repeat 
his  straightforward  answers,  and  Pilate,  los- 
ing his  temper  in  his  anxiety  to  find  some 
way  to  release  him,  said,  ''Why  do  you  refuse 
to  answer  me ?  You  don't  seem  to  realize  that 
I  have  power  to  release  you  and  also  to  cru- 
cify you, ' '  Jesus  answered,  pityingly  and  for- 
givingly, "Yes,  but  it  is  the  one  who  handed 
me  over  to  you  who  has  the  greater  sin  to 
answer  for." 

Altho  Pilate  hated  these  treacherous  Jewish 
rulers,  he  had  always  gotten  along  with  them 
as  peaceably  as  possible.  At  once  another 
compromise  suggested  itself  to  him. 

"This  man  you  have  brought  before  me 
charged  with  misleading  the  people.  But  I 
have  examined  him  and  found  him  innocent 
of  every  one  of  these  things  of  which  you 
accuse  him.  Nor  has  Herod  succeeded  other- 
wise. As  a  matter  of  fact,  he  has  done  noth- 
ing worthy  of  death.  I  shall  have  him  flogged 
and  then  release  him. ' ' 

It  was  an  outrageous  decision.  Flogging, 
which  was  done  in  those  days  by  leathern 
thongs  with  iron  ends,  was  so  severe  a  punish- 
ment that  culprits  often  died  beneath  the 
blows. 

But  Pilate  hoped  to  win  pity  from  them 
because  of  his  sufferings  and  thereby  save  his 
life.  How  much  simpler  it  had  been  to  do  the 
fair  thing  and  release  Jesus  at  once  and  drive 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      247 

this  wolf  pack  from  his  courtyard  with  his 
troops ! 

In  another  half  hour  Jesus  was  led  again 
before  them.  His  back  had  been  striped  with 
deep  gashes,  the  blood  was  running  from  his 
body  in  streams,  and  the  whole  cohort  of  six 
hundred  imbruted  Romans  had  made  sicken- 
ing sport  of  him  with  all  the  fiendish  cruelty 
they  possessed. 

Again  Jesus  and  Pilate  stood  face  to  face 
on  the  raised  portico. 

Even  Pilate  was  overwhelmed  with  con- 
trition. The  soldiers  had  thrown  an  old  red 
war  cloak  over  his  bleeding  shoulders,  they 
had  crushed  a  crown  of  sharp  briars  over  his 
forehead  and  they  had  stuck  a  reed  in  his 
hand,  to  make  him  appear  like  a  mock  king. 
He  was  pale,  trembling,  fainting.  But  in  si- 
lent courage  and  dignity  he  never  seemed  the 
true  king  of  men  that  he  was  more  than  now. 

As  Pilate  turned  to  look  at  him,  the  morn- 
ing sun  broke  through  a  cloud  upon  the 
Savior  ^s  form.  It  lighted  his  hair  and  the 
country  chaplet  to  a  coronal  of  glory,  starred 
with  the  rubies  of  his  blood.  It  lit  his  eagle 
face  and  deep  eyes  with  a  touch  of  tender 
beauty.  It  fell  upon  the  bound  hands  that  had 
been  so  often  put  forth  in  mercy.  It  stole  to 
the  worn  and  patient  feet,  now  entering  upon 
their  last  journey. 

And  Pilate,  as  he  looked,  started  back  in 
superstitious  terror,  remembering  the  strange 


248  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  .OF  CHRIST 

dream  that  his  wife  had  just  told  him,  that  a' 
son  of  the  gods  was  about  to  be  killed  upon 
the  cross. 

Pilate  pointed  to  him  in  silence. 

Then  he  said  in  brief  eloquence : 

''Behold!    The  Man!" 

The  real  greatness  of  Jesus  was  manifest. 
Not  eloquence,  not  deeds  of  power,  not  cour- 
age—great as  they  are  and  greatly  as  Jesus 
possessed  them.  The  greatness  of  Jesus  was 
love.    No  man  ever  loved  like  this  man. 

But  the  priests  and  rulers,  who  had  been 
planning  what  to  do  next,  burst  forth  with 
one  hoarse,  prolonged  shout, 

' '  Kill  him !    Kill  him !    Kill  him ! ' ' 

Stirred  by  the  omen  of  the  dream,  thor- 
oughly alarmed  by  the  shoutings  which 
seemed  to  portend  a  popular  uprising,  Pilate 
did  only  one  thing  more,  weaker  and  more 
foolish  than  any  other. 

It  was  the  custom  then,  as  it  is  still  in  some 
countries,  to  give  a  free  pardon  to  some  nota- 
ble criminal  on  every  high  festival  day. 

Pilate  thought  of  one  Jesus  Bar-Abbas,  a 
desperate  murderer,  who  was  really  and 
plainly  guilty  of  the  very  crime  of  which 
Jesus  was  charged. 

Did  these  rulers  want  to  show  their  patri- 
otism?   Here  was  the  chance. 

''I  will  set  free  Jesus,  this  so-called  king 
of  yours,  and  I  will  execute  Jesus  Bar- Abbas, 
the  traitor,"  he  suggested. 


THE  KING  STANDS  BEFORE  KINGS      249 

The  rulers,  who  had  by  this  time  gathered 
a  rabble  from  the  dregs  of  the  city,  instantly 
led  them  in  yelling : 

''No!  Away  with  this  fellow!  Kill  him! 
Release  Bar- Abbas  unto  us." 

It  is  a  strange  thing  that  the  word  ''Bar- 
Abbas"  means  "son  of  the  Father."  They 
chose  Jesus,  the  false  ' '  son  of  the  Father, ' '  a 
rioter  and  murderer,  instead  of  Jesus  the 
true  Son  of  God. 

And  as  he  still  hesitated,  a  deeper  cry  burst 
upon  his  ears,  bearing  the  menace  that  al- 
ways caused  him  more  terror  than  any  other : 

"If  you  let  this  fellow  go,  you  are  no  friend 
of  the  emperor.  Anybody  who  makes  him- 
self out  to  be  a  king  is  setting  himself  against 
the  emperor." 

"But  what  shall  I  do  with  this  king  of 
yours  1 ' ' 

They  forgot  even  their  untold  hatred  of 
Rome  in  their  keener  hatred  of  Jesus. 

' '  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar, ' '  they  cried. 
"Let  this  man  be  crucified." 

Pilate  could  ill  afford  to  have  any  com- 
plaint carried  to  Caesar.  Innocent  as  he 
might  seem  if  he  did  justly  in  this  matter, 
there  were  other  deeds— pillage,  injustice, 
even  murder— of  which  he  could  not  afford 
to  let  the  emperor  have  knowledge. 

Pilate  was  beaten. 

But  he  must  cover  up  his  defeat  somehow. 

He  did  so  in  a  weak  and  pitiful  manner. 


250  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

He  sent  for  a  basin  of  water,  and,  in  memory 
of  an  old  custom  by  which  a  judge  thus  dram- 
atically washed  off  responsibility  from  him- 
self, he  washed  his  hands  before  them  all,  say- 
ing, 

"I  am  not  answerable  for  the  bloodshed  of 
this  innocent.    You  look  to  it  yourselves." 

And  the  leaders  of  Israel  shouted  in  care- 
less exultation,  ''His  blood  be  on  our  heads, 
and  on  our  children's." 


XXIV 

THE  KING  DIES  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE 

North  of  the  city,  outside  the  gate,  close 
to  the  road  along  which  Jesus  had  walked  so 
many  times  when  coming  in  from  Galilee, 
was  the  Hill  of  Execution,*  or,  as  it  was 
called  from  its  gruesome  shape,  Golgotha,  a 
name  that  means  ' '  Skull. ' ' 

Thither  they  dragged  Jesus. 

It  was  now  about  nine  in  the  morning. 

First  marched  a  Roman  captain  at  the  head 
of  a  squad  of  soldiers,  carrying  aloft  on  a 
pole  the  name  and  supposed  crime  of  the  vic- 
tim. Pilate  in  his  helpless  rage  had  insisted 
on  printing  thereon  this  bitter  insult  to  the 
Sanhedrin : 

THIS  IS 

JESUS   OF   NAZARETH, 

The  King  of  the  Jews. 

Jesus  and  two  thieves,  who  were  also  to  be 
crucified  that  day,  followed,  bending  beneath 
the  cross-bars  upon  which  they  were  to  hang. 
A  mixed  crowd  of  rulers  and  rabble  and  curi- 
ous spectators  surrounded  them.    A  few  of 

See  Note  34. 


252  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Jesus'  own  friends,  including  his  mother,  the 
other  Marys,  Salome,  the  mother  of  James 
and  John,  and  John  himself,  brought  up  the 
rear. 

Jerusalem  was  now  thoroughly  awake. 

One  thing  I  must  remind  you  just  here. 

It  was  not  the  Jewish  people  who  murdered 
Jesus.  It  was  only  a  small  group  of  their 
rulers.  The  people  simply  neglected,  wa- 
vered, were  hesitant.  They  did  nothing,  while 
his  foes  were  active.  Neglect,  not  rejection, 
let  Jesus  die.  The  people  were  already  mur- 
muring at  this  atrocious  deed  of  violence 
against  their  beloved  teacher.  But  the  men 
said,  ''What's  the  use?  It  is  all  over.  It  is 
too  late.  Already  he  has  been  condemned  by 
our  rulers,  and  can  we  rescue  him  from  a  regi- 
ment of  soldiers!"  But  the  women  felt  no 
such  resignation,  and  from  house-door  and 
shop-window  and  the  sides  of  the  narrow 
streets  they  and  their  children  looked  upon 
him  with  streaming  eyes  of  pity  and  bewailed 
him  with  loud  laments. 

He  was  going  to  the  most  shameful  form 
of  death  and  to  the  most  agonizing.  But  he 
forgot  his  own  anguish  entirely.  He  despised 
the  shame.  At  every  step  he  turned  from  side 
to  side,  speaking  tender  and  thoughtful  words 
to  these  women,  entreating  them  all  to  pray 
as  never  before  for  their  doomed  nation  and 
for  the  welfare  of  their  own  little  children. 

The  death  of  Socrates  has  always  aroused 


THE  KING  DIES  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE       253 

the  sincerest  admiration.  Men  have  cher- 
ished the  memory  of  the  calmness  of  that  ven- 
erable man,  in  drinking  the  fatal  hemlock, 
after  his  condemnation  by  the  highest  law 
court  of  his  nation,  and  dying  with  fearless 
dignity  among  his  friends.  But  what  shall 
we  say  of  Jesus,  so  young,  so  strong,  so  beau- 
tiful, condemned  without  a  show  of  justice, 
exhausted  by  loss  of  blood  and  sleep  and 
food,  nailed  with  spikes  through  hands  and 
feet  to  a  tree,  exposed  to  heat  and  thirst  and 
to  the  gaze  of  men,  and  deserted  even  by  his 
friends,  retaining  to  the  last  moment  the  very 
majesty  of  God? 

It  is  a  precious  memory  to  those  who  love 
him  that  he  was  the  same  Jesus  to  the  very 
end. 

When  he  fainted  by  the  city  gate,  and  they 
forced  a  foreign  Jew  hurrying  as  a  belated 
pilgrim  to  the  festival  to  turn  back  and  carry 
the  shameful  cross  in  his  place,  he  walked 
beside  the  disappointed  and  embittered  man 
and  spoke  to  him  with  thanks  and  sympathy. 

When  they  jolted  his  trembling  body  as  the 
cross  was  dropped  into  the  hole  in  the  earth, 
he  prayed  God  to  forgive  those  who  were 
murdering  him,  because,  after  all,  they  were 
ignorant  of  what  they  were  doing. 

He  refused  to  stupefy  himself  with  the 
drink  which  merciful  women  of  the  city  pro- 
vided for  such  cases,  for  he  thought  it  was 
cowardly  to  die  unconscious. 


254  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

And  while  lie  was  dying,  the  heartless  Ro- 
man soldiers  were  carelessly  casting  lots  in 
their  helmets  for  his  clothing,  the  only  world- 
ly goods  he  possessed.  Even  the  seamless 
robe,  which  Mary,  his  mother,  had  woven  for 
him  in  Capernaum,  went  to  warm  some  bar- 
barian sentinel  as  he  guarded  Israel's  capital. 

That  mother,  pierced  to  the  heart  with  woe, 
clung  to  the  foot  of  his  cross,  sharing,  as 
mothers  will,  without  a  thought  of  herself,  the 
shame  of  that  dreadful  day. 

John  was  the  only  one  of  the  Twelve  who 
braved  death  to  be  present.  Jesus  the  night 
before  had  saved  all  their  lives  in  the  olive 
orchard,  but  to-day  they  had  forsaken  him. 
This  one  faithful  comrade  he  drew  nearer  by 
calling  his  name,  and  then  he  spoke  also  to 
his  mother.  The  words  were  few  and  feeble, 
but,  oh,  so  thoughtful. 

''John.     See!    your  mother. 

''Mother,  he  will  be  your  son." 

And  as  long  as  she  lived,  John  took  care  of 
her  for  Jesus. 

He  repeated  snatches  of  those  holy  psalms 
which  he  had  learned  as  a  schoolboy  and  had 
loved  all  his  life. 

His  divine  demeanor  so  moved  one  of  the 
thieves  who  hung  by  him,  and  who  had  even 
joined  with  the  mob  in  yelling  insults  and 
curses  at  him,  that,  afraid  to  die,  he  begged 
Jesus  to  forgive  him  when  he  took  possession 
of  his  kingdom.    Jesus  assured  him  that  on 


THE  KING  DIES  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE       255 

that  very  day  he  should  awake  with  him  in 
glory. 

A  weird  shadow  had  been  slowly  settling 
over  the  earth  all  day.  Soon  after  mid- 
day it  grew  dark  as  night. 

Gradually  the  howls  and  curses  of  his  ene- 
mies died  away  in  terror,  and  only  the  sobs 
of  the  women,  his  friends,  who  knelt  close  by, 
could  be  heard.  Even  the  Roman  soldiers 
had  ceased  their  dice-playing  and  drinking 
and  were  dumb  with  superstitious  awe.  The 
very  earth  seemed  tottering  in  revolt  against 
the  slaughter  of  its  king. 

Those  were  six  hours  of  mortal  agony,  but 
not  a  word  of  weakness  came  from  his  lips. 

Crucifixion  does  not  itself  kill.  It  simply 
exposes  the  helpless  sufferer  to  heat,  thirst, 
fever  and  the  wild  birds  of  prey.  These  did 
not  kill  Jesus.    He  died  of  a  broken  heart. 

But  his  last  word  to  men  was  a  cry  of  vic- 
tory.   '  *  It  is  finished ! ' ' 

Then,  like  a  child  who  comes  at  night  to 
his  father's  arms,  he  said  softly,  '' Father, 
into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit. ' ' 

And  he  fell  asleep. 

The  Roman  commander,  remembering  leg- 
ends of  the  passing  of  some  of  the  ancient 
divine  heroes,  spoke  the  mind  of  the  watch- 
ing world,  when  he  exclaimed,  as  Jesus 
breathed  his  last : 

''Surely  this  man  must  have  been  a  Son 
of  God!" 


356  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

The  Jewish  rulers  who  had  killed  Jesus 
were  equally  agitated. 

Their  victim's  death  had  seemed  like  a 
coronation. 

They  returned  to  their  council  chamber  in 
the  temple,  and  in  the  brightening  light  of 
evening  they  saw  a  sight  that  caused  them  to 
tingle  with  terror. 

The  heavj^"  temple  doors  were  rolled  open, 
the  silken  curtains  of  sunset  colors  that  had 
always  hidden  their  Holy  Shrine  had  been 
torn  apart  by  the  earthquake,  and  even  the 
foreign  visitors,  the  heathen,  were  peering 
curiously  within. 

''What  did  that  Galilean  say  one  day  on 
this  very  spot?  'I  am  the  Doorway.  No  one 
comes  to  the  Father  except  through  Me,'  and 
again,  'I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me.'  " 

One  of  Jesus'  secret  friends,  named  Jo- 
seph, a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  owned  the 
garden  at  the  foot  of  the  Hill  of  Execution. 
He  and  Nicodemus  asked  Pilate  for  the  priv- 
ilege of  burying  the  body  of  Jesus  there  in 
his  new  family  tomb.  Wliile  the  soldiers  were 
taking  the  body  down  from  the  cross  they  dis- 
covered that  the  cause  of  Jesus'  death  was  a 
rupture  of  the  heart. 

But  the  rulers  were  so  afraid,  even  of  his 
senseless  corpse  and  of  his  suddenly  remem- 
bered word  about  ''raising  in  three  days  the 
temple  of  God,"  that  they  even  ventured  to 


H 
O 
O 

o 


THE  KING  DIES  FOR  HIS  PEOPLE        357 

Pilate  again  and  besought  him  for  a  guard 
of  soldiers  to  prevent  after  all  some  unknown, 
but  impending  undoing. 

So  the  friends  of  Jesus  buried  him.  And 
as  they  bore  him  to  the  garden  tomb  they 
marveled  that  so  slight  a  body  had  sustained 
so  unwearied  a  life.  They  laid  it  in  cool 
spices  and  fair,  white  linen,  cleansing  its 
sacred, wounds  and  washing  away  its  stains, 
grieving  in  blind,  tearful  unfaith,  yet  com- 
forted at  even  this  ministration  to  the  dear 
remains.  After  the  Sabbath  was  over  they 
proposed  to  come  and  embalm  the  body. 
When  they  had  finished,  the  guard  rolled 
against  the  entrance  a  huge  round  door  of 
stone,  which  they  sealed  with  the  royal  signet. 
And  all  night  long  the  sentinels  paced  to  and 
fro  before  the  king's  sepulcher. 

That  night  was  starlit  and  silent.  John  sat 
in  his  dark  home  soothing  the  gray-haired 
mother  of  Jesus.  Simon  Peter  knelt  in  the 
agony  of  penitence  in  Gethsemane  in  the  very 
spot  where  Jesus  had  prayed.  The  rest  were 
scattered  fugitives. 

And  wearily  the  hopeless  Sabbath  drew  on. 


XXV 

THE   MORNING  OF  HIS   KINGDOM 

Can  you  begin  to  feel  the  grief  of  the 
friends  of  Jesus? 

The  Prince  of  life,  that  Heart  of  hearts, 
was  dead.  Hatred  and  shame  had  done  their 
will  with  that  shining  spirit. 

It  seemed  the  end  of  everything. 

But  was  there  not  a  hope— just  a  glimpse 
of  light  in  the  tempest? 

Could  the  King  be  defeated?  Could  his 
words  of  life  live  on  and  the  Giver  of  life  be 
dead? 

What  had  He  himself  said ?  "I  have  wres- 
tled—and I  have  conquered!" 

How  eagerly  we  read  those  fragments  in 
the  Resurrection  Story  and  wish  they  were 
more  than  fragments. 

The  deserted  tomb,*  left  by  the  Lodger- 
for-a-night— the  One  like  a  gardener,  walk- 
ing with  blossoms  in  his  hand— the  Guest  at 
supper,  made  known  by  his  uplifted  hand— 

One  tale  is  more  complete. 

*  See  Note  35. 


THE  MORNING  OF  HIS  KINGDOM        259 

Some  of  the  fishermen  had  gone  back  to 
the  lake. 

They  went  out  one  night  toward  the  farther 
side  to  fish  for  the  large  lakefish. 

Everything  hereabouts  reminded  them  of 
their  Lord. 

Across  the  lake  were  their  homes  and  his 
at  Capernaum.  Above  and  beyond  they  could 
dimly  see  in  the  moonlight  the  mountain 
where  he  had  called  them  and  taught  them 
the  Blessings.  This  very  coast  that  lay  close 
by  through  the  fog  was  the  one  on  which  he 
had  fed  the  multitudes.  Farther  south  he 
had  healed  the  Gadarene  giant  and  preached 
in  the  Decapolis.  The  whole  lake  had  been 
made  sacred  by  his  words  and  deeds  when  he 
had  sailed  with  them  upon  its  waters. 

Toward  morning  they  heard  a  cheery  voice 
on  shore  shouting  through  the  mist,  *'Lads, 
have  you  any  fish?" 

^^No,"  they  replied,  wondering. 

''Cast  your  net  over  on  the  other  side  of 
the  boat,  and  you  will  find  some." 

And,  sure  enough,  they  did. 

Where  had  this  sort  of  thing  happened  be- 
fore? 

Who  was  it  that  knew  the  lakefish  better 
than  any  of  them? 

John,  of  course,  remembered. 

**It  is  the  Master !"  he  exclaimed. 

In  a  flash  Peter  cried,  "Here,  John,  hold 
this  net.    I'm  going  ashore." 


260  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

He  leapt  out  of  the  boat  and  swam  the  hun- 
dred yards  to  the  strand.* 

When  the  rest  came  in,  pulling  the  laden 
net,  as  soon  as  they  were  close  enough  to  get 
a  glimpse  through  the  fog,  they  could  see  him, 
sitting  with  Peter,  beside  a  fire.  Jesus  was 
roasting  some  of  the  fish,  like  herrings,  which 
he  had  caught  off  the  shore  with  hook  and 
line  for  their  breakfast.  "Bring  some  of  the 
large  fish  up,"  said  Jesus  to  Peter. 

So  he  ran  down,  and  they  laid  these  also 
on  the  coals. 

They  all  sat  in  strange  silence  as  they  ate 
breakfast.  The  sun,  athwart  the  mountain- 
tops,  was  just  smiting  through  the  mists. 

There  was  Jesus  putting  the  fish  on  pieces 
of  bread  and  handing  it  about  just  as  he  had 
done  so  many  times  before  when  they  had 
camped  together,  in  those  years  beside  the 
lake.  And  yet  he  was  not  the  same.  Between 
that  supper  in  the  upper  room  and  this  break- 
fast at  the  lakeside,  between  the  agony  and 
the  triumph — something  had  intervened. 

When  they  arose  to  go,  Peter,  according 
to  his  old-time  custom,  strolled  along  the 
beach  beside  Jesus.    John  was  close  behind. 

Peter  dreaded,  yet  he  longed,  to  be  alone 
with  Jesus. 

Jesus  was  the  one  to  break  the  silence. 

"Simon,"  he  said,  "are  you  more  devoted 
to  me  than  these  others  are?" 

*  See  Note  36. 


THE  MORNING  OF  HIS  KINGDOM        261 

Peter  was  not  so  ready  to  boast  of  his  loy- 
alty as  he  had  been  the  night  of  the  betrayal, 
but  neither  was  he  willing  to  deny  it. 

*'I  am,  Master,"  he  answered  heartily. 
* '  You  know  I  love  you. ' ' 

*'But,  Simon,  are  you  really  devoted  to 
me?" 

Simon  replied  again  as  before. 

Once  more  Jesus  looked  Simon  keenly  in 
the  face.  Three  times  Simon  had  disowned 
him.  By  a  three-fold  confession  he  must 
atone. 

''Simon,  do  you  honestly  love  me?" 

Peter  was  pained  and  grieved. 

''Master,"  he  cried,  "you  know  all.  You 
can  see  that  I  love  you. ' ' 

' '  Then, ' '  said  Jesus,  pointing  to  the  others, 
' '  Tend  my  sheep. ' ' 

Do  you  remember  how  Jesus  had  told  Si- 
mon that  he  was  to  be  Chancellor  of  his  king- 
dom ?    Had  he  forgotten  ?    Was  he  mistaken  ? 

No,  you  begin  to  see.  Jesus  had  said, ' '  The 
Chief  is  he  who  serves."  Simon  was  to  be 
the  first  great  Servant  and  Comforter  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Followers. 

But  Jesus  had  still  more  to  tell  him. 

"When  you  were  a  boy,  Peter,  you  could 
run  wherever  you  would.  But  by  and  by  men 
will  take  you  up  and  carry  you  where  you 
would  not  go. ' ' 

This  puzzle  meant  that  some  day  he  should 


262  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

be  carried  to  a  violent  death.  The  story  is 
that  later  he,  too,  died  upon  a  cross. 

' ' Still  will  you  follow  me ?' '  asked  Jesus. 

''With  my  whole  heart  I  will,"  he  an- 
swered, undaunted. 

Then,  turning  to  John,  who  was  coming 
up  nearer,  Peter  put  his  arm  affectionately 
upon  his  old  friend's  shoulder,  and,  remem- 
bering how  dear  he,  too,  was  to  Jesus,  he 
said, 

''And,  Master,  this  man:  what  about  himf" 

But  Jesus  would  not  tell  him. 

"Never  mind  about  him,"  said  Jesus  gent- 
ly.   "It  is  enough  for  you  to  follow  me." 

It  is  in  the  account  of  Jesus'  life  which 
came  to  us  from  this  same  John  that  we  have 
this  lakeside  story. 

There  he  leaves  Jesus,  walking  on,  with 
Peter  and  himself,  "alive  f orevermore. " 

And  thus  we  love  to  think  of  him  still,  walk- 
ing with  those  that  love  him,  according  to 
that  last  word,  which  Matthew  tells  us  he 
said, ' '  I  shall  be  with  you  always. ' ' 

For  if  we  have  Jesus,  we  have  not  only 
Hero  and  Friend,  but  "God  with  us,"  the 
King  of  Glory. 

The  Twelve  waited  in  the  supper-room  un- 
til, touched  with  the  flame  of  his  Spirit,  they 
went  forth  to  disciple  the  world.  "They  did 
not  wish  him  back,  because  they  knew  that  he 
had  never  gone  away. ' ' 


~   o 


€H 


THE  MORNING  OF  HIS  KINGDOM        263 

Those  saintly  men  and  pure-hearted  women 
of  the  Christ  Day  passed  away.  Others  in 
unbroken  rank  have  succeeded  them— mar- 
tyrs, heroes  and  confessors. 

The  kingdom  has  gone  on  without  ceasing. 
Wherever  Love  is  there  it  reigns. 

And  at  the  heart  of  this  Kingdom  still 
dwells  our  King.  Saints  who  have  had  vi- 
sions have  seen  Jesus  in  glory.  He  was  not 
at  rest  or  forgetful.  He  was  standing— by 
his  throne— in  expectant  eagerness,  watching 
and  awaiting  his  soldiers  doing  his  will. 

Thus  his  kingdom  sees  Him  forever — the 
expectant  Christ. 

For,  what  he  expects  of  all,  he  expects  of 
each.  To  each  one  of  us  who  walks  beside  the 
sea  of  life  Jesus  still  comes,  and  his  message 
is  the  same  as  to  Simon  Peter  of  old— no  less, 
no  more : 

^'FOLLOW  ME." 


NOTES 


H%     'iV--{      ^s**--/ 
'»%-\      11     "  i.-.-.»'7         si*' - --vamis-^iF'  Damascus 


NOTES 

Note  I.    Following  the  Footsteps  of  Jesus 

In  order  to  make  the  life  of  Christ  perfectly  real,  it 
seems  necessary  to  know  more  about  the  places  in  which 
He  lived.  In  the  main  part  of  this  book  we  have  made  a 
chronological  study  of  the  life  of  Christ.  The  purpose  of 
these  notes  is  to  make  a  geographical  study.  Beginning 
with  note  1,  the  reader  is  supposed  to  enter  the  Holy  Land 
at  Joppa,  which  is  the  most  frequent  landing-place  of 
pilgrims  to-day,  and  to  take  the  consecutive  journey  to  the 
different  sites  connected  with  the  life  of  Jesus,  traveling 
in  the  same  order  as  the  events  of  that  life.  These  de- 
scriptions are  outlines  of  those  places  as  they  appear  to- 
day. The  best  means,  outside  of  a  visit,  for  making  these 
places  real  to  us  has  been  prepared  by  Underwood  & 
Underwood,  who  have  made  stereographs  of  the  places 
described  in  notes.  These  thirty-six  photographs  are  num- 
bered to  correspond  with  the  numbering  of  our  notes.  It 
will  be  helpful  to  the  reader  if,  before  reading  each  note, 
he  turns  also  to  the  map  of  the  Holy  Land  and  finds  the 
exact  location  of  the  place  which  is  described. 

The  traveler  to  the  Holy  Land,  ^.s  you  will  see  by  the 
map,  approaches  it  from  the  west,  coming  directly  to  the 
long,  straight  coast  line  which  reaches  unbroken  from 
Tyre  on  the  north  to  Gaza  on  the  south.  Altho  he  can 
see  only  the  harbor  of  Joppa,  the  whole  land  is  before 
him,  from  Galilee  and  the  Lake  of  Galilee  on  the  north 
to  Judea  and  the  Dead  Sea,  seventy-five  to  one  hundred 
miles  to  the  south,  with  the  Mediterranean  Sea  washing 
the  shore  line  on  the  west.  As  the  traveler  looks  eastward 
to  Joppa  from  his  steamer,  across  the  reefs  which  choke 
the  harbor,  Egypt  is  three  hundred  miles  behind  him  to 


268  NOTES 

his  right,  and  Asia  Minor  five  hundred  miles  behind  him  to 
his  left.  Joppa,  or  Jaffa,  anciently  the  only  seaport  of 
Jerusalem  and  Palestine,  is  a  compact  city  of  Moham- 
medans and  Christians,  which  is  built  on  a  whaleback 
rise  of  rocky  ground,  the  only  eminence  on  the  southern 
coast.  The  walls  of  its  flat-roofed  houses  are  of  blue, 
pink,  white  and  yellow,  and  sparkle  in  the  brilliant  sun- 
light. The  tower  of  a  monastery,  the  minaret  of  a  mosque 
and  an  occasional  palm  tree  break  the  sky-line.  In  this 
mooring,  through  which  the  passenger  is  taken  in  a  small 
boat,  once  lay  logs  of  cedar  for  Solomon's  Temple,  cut 
at  the  far  north  on  Mount  Lebanon  and  floated  down  the 
coast.  In  this  town  lived  Dorcas,  and  here  Peter  saw  the 
vision  that  opened  his  heart  to  the  world. 

The  traveler  to-day,  impatient  to  set  foot  on  the  Holy 
Land,  must  clamber  down  the  side  of  his  steamer  and 
intrust  himself  to  the  fierce-looking  boatmen  who  will  row 
him  through  the  breakers  to  the  rocky  landing  place. 

After  we  have  landed  here,  we  shall  wish  to  go  at  once 
to  Bethlehem,  the  place  of  our  Savior's  birth.  We  go 
along  the  roadway  to  the  left,  through  dirty,  narrow 
streets,  past  the  huddled  houses,  amongst  a  mixed  throng 
of  Europeans,  Egyptians,  Northern  Syrians,  Palestine 
peasants,  Bedawin  of  the  desert,  dogs  and  beasts  of  bur- 
den, until  we  reach  the  railroad  station  or  the  roadway  of 
our  departure.  Straight  before  us  stretches  the  plain  of 
Sharon  toward  Jerusalem.  The  people  who  come  to 
Bethlehem  usually  lodge  at  Jerusalem.  It  is  up  hill  all 
the  way,  rising  twenty-five  hundred  feet  in  forty  miles 
bjf  a  funny  old-fashioned  road.  One  can  go  in  this  way 
in  five  hours,  or  if  he  travels  by  camel  spend  two  days 
on  the  way. 

Note  2,     The  Main  Street  of  Bethlehem  To-day 

On  the  map  of  Palestine  find  Bethlehem,  a  short  dis- 
tance southwest  of  Jerusalem.  The  little  town  is  built  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  a  watershed,  a  part  of  Judea's  table- 
land.   It  is  twenty-seven  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level, 


NOTES  269 

and  the  air  is  clear  and  dry.  It  stretches  along  the  hill- 
sides, and  from  its  highest  part  we  can  see  to  the  east  as 
far  as  the  Dead  Sea,  to  the  north  the  hills  that  hide  Jeru- 
salem. We  approach  it  from  the  northwest,  and  let  lis 
suppose  that  just  at  the  entrance  to  the  market-place  we 
pause  and  look  back  along  the  main  street.  It  is  only  a 
long  and  narrow  lane,  which  appears  unusually  clean  for 
an  Oriental  street,  but  its  only  drainage  is  on  the  surface 
down  to  the  gutters  at  the  side.  The  soft  limestone  houses 
are  not  ancient,  and  they  differ  from  that  in  which  Joseph 
found  shelter  for  Mary  and  her  son  in  that  they  have  two 
stories  and  outside  balconies  which  were  unknown  then, 
but  the  flat  roofs  with  growing  plants  and  the  small  out- 
side windows  remind  us  of  the  houses  of  the  olden  time. 
Some  of  them  have  outside  stairways,  which  were  a  com- 
mon method  in  olden  time  of  approaching  the  roofs.  This 
lane  is  crowded  with  people ;  most  of  them  are  Christians. 
They  wear  the  turban  rather  than  the  fez,  and  the  women 
of  Bethlehem  to-day,  as  probably  in  the  time  of  Christ, 
have  a  special  local  costume,  with  a  stiff  head-dress  and 
peculiar  cloak.  The  children  have  bright  faces  and  are 
attractive,  though  they  go  barefooted  and  dress  in  rags. 
You  can  never  look  down  a  Palestine  street  without  see- 
ing at  least  one  of  the  half -wild  street  dogs.  It  was  along 
such  a  lane  as  this  that  Joseph  and  Mary  came  at  the  end 
of  their  long  journey  from  Nazareth,  and  when  they  went 
to  Jerusalem  and  returned,  at  the  time  when  they  pre- 
sented Jesus  in  the  Temple.  Hither  came  the  magi  from 
Herod,  and  Herod's  soldiers  on  their  bloody  errand. 

Note  3,     In  Bethlehem  To-day 

As  soon  as  we  leave  the  main  street  of  Bethlehem  and 
turn  southward,  we  find  ourselves  in  the  village  square. 
It  is  at  the  east  end  of  the  town  overlooking  the  valley, 
with  its  olive  orchards,  meadows  and  sheep-folds.  From 
the  outer  windows  of  the  buildings  that  surround  the 
square,  one  can  look  down  upon  the  field  of  the  shepherds, 


270  NOTES 

whence  they  came  to  visit  the  Babe  who  was  to  be  their 
Savior. 

The  square  to-day  is  filled,  as  it  was  on  that  day  when 
Joseph  came  to  be  enrolled  in  the  census,  with  camels  and 
donkeys,  the  beasts  of  burden  of  the  rich  and  the  poor, 
such  as  those  of  the  magi  and  of  Joseph.  The  latter  are 
loaded  with  firewood;  the  former  having  come  a  longer 
distance,  are  unladen  as  they  rest.  Th3  buildings  that 
surround  the  square  to-day  are  of  a  better  class  than  those 
usually  seen  in  Palestine,  for  their  owners  are  Christians, 
probably  prosperous  dealers  in  curios.  Across  the  square 
is  a  ruined  mosque,  but  the  Mohammedans  have  not  wor- 
shiped in  Bethlehem  for  over  seventy  years.  Just  be- 
hind us  is  the  entrance  of  the  Church  of  the  Nativity,  the 
oldest  Greek  church  in  the  world.  Even  to-day,  among 
the  tawdry  trappings  of  the  gold  and  silver  lamps,  the 
marbles  and  ivories,  the  brilliant  flames  and  soft  incense, 
one  can  see  that  the  grotto  of  the  nativity  underneath  the 
church  is  only  an  irregular  cave  in  the  rock.  Here  was 
the  Inn  of  Bethlehem,  a  bare,  open  place  like  this,  with  a 
lean-to,  already  full  of  guests.  In  one  of  the  mangers  for 
cattle  below  the  Babe  was  laid,  amidst  the  slime  and  reek. 
Little  did  it  look  like  the  birthplace  of  a  King. 

Ere  we  go  away  from  Bethlehem  we  shall  not  forget 
that  once,  perhaps  across  this  very  market  place,  ran  the 
shepherd  boy  Daxdd  as  he  came  in  from  his  father's 
pastures,  and  that  Ruth  may  have  walked  here  many 
times  at  morning  and  even  when  going  to  or  returning 
from  the  barley  fields  of  Boaz. 

Note  4.    The  View  from  the  Hilltop  at  Nazareth 

From  Bethlehem  the  holy  family  went  down  to  Egypt 
and  returned  to  Nazareth — which,  as  the  map  shows,  is 
about  ninety  miles  due  north  of  Bethlehem — along  the 
coast,  past  Joppa,  so  as  to  avoid  the  new  Herod.  We 
may  imagine  ourselves  transported  along  the  direct  route 
over  the  tablelands  of  Judea  and  Samaria.  Palestine, 
like  all  Gaul,  was  divided  into  three  parts.    Judea  and 


NOTES  271 

Samaria  were  two.  The  third  and  northern  part  wag 
called  Galilee.    Nazareth  was  in  lower  Galilee. 

It  is  a  steep  climb  up  into  Nazareth,  a  hillside  town 
whose  slopes  face  southward. 

If  you  should  walk  to-day  to  the  roof  of  the  English 
Orphanage,  near  the  top  of  the  hill  at  Nazareth,  and  look 
southward,  you  would  see  the  same  view  that  Jesus  saw 
when  He  was  a  boy.  Beyond,  winding  down  into  the 
Plain  of  Esdraelon,  would  be  the  path  up  which  you  had 
clambered  into  the  town,  the  same  road  down  which  Jesus 
walked  when  he  went  across  the  valley.  You  can  see 
from  here  to  the  south,  as  the  text  suggests,  on  the  left 
the  valley  that  leads  up  to  Mount  Gilboa,  connected  with 
the  exploits  of  Gideon  and  Saul,  and  at  the  right  the 
crest  of  Carmel  where  Sisera's  army  first  debouched  upon 
the  plain.  You  are  sixteen  hundred  feet  above  the  Medi- 
terranean. You  can  see  the  flashing  reflection  of  a  stream 
that  is  a  branch  of  the  River  Kishon,  which  flows  west- 
ward into  the  Mediterranean.  As  the  watershed  between 
the  Mediterranean  and  the  Jordan  is  here,  a  stream  a  few 
rods  to  the  left,  flows  in  the  opposite  direction  into  the 
Jordan.  The  sharp  hill  beyond,  at  our  left,  seems  to 
mark  a  slice  cut  out  of  the  range,  as  if  on  purpose  to 
open  up  this  glorious  vista.  That  hill  is  by  some  called 
"  the  Mount  of  Precipitation,"  because  they  believe  it  was 
where  the  people  of  Nazareth  tried  to  cast  Jesus  down. 
But  it  is  so  far  away  that  it  seems  more  likely  to  have 
been  some  steep  place  on  this  hill  above  the  village  on 
which  we  are  standing.  Nazareth  is  on  every  side  but 
this  enclosed  by  mountains  as  a  flower  is  by  leaves.  Th^ 
chalky  limestone,  which  peeps  through  the  verdure  like 
snow,  shows  how  scanty  is  the  soil.  You  recognize  the 
olive  and  the  cypress.  The  fig,  the  mulberry,  the  lemon, 
the  pomegranate  and  the  almond  grow  in  the  gardens. 
This  village  is  also  the  northern  limit  of  the  palm. 

The  houses  below  us  lie  in  snowy  whiteness.  It  is 
interesting  to  try  to  pick  out  one  which  resembles  the 
house  in  which  Jesus  was  brought  up,  which,  of  course, 


272  NOTES 

is  not  standing  to-day.  Most  of  the  houses  still  have  flat 
roofs  where  the  inhabitants  can  enjoy  fresher  air  than  in 
the  stuffy  streets,  or  watch  the  flocks  and  herds,  or  in 
summer  lie  down  to  sleep.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  not 
very  clean.  The  houses  on  either  side  present  a  blank 
wall,  which  is  broken  here  and  there  by  little  recesses  used 
for  shops  and  stores. 

The  house  in  which  Jesus  lived  probably  had  only  one 
or  two  rooms.  It  may  have  been  built  of  stone  like  those 
to-day  or  of  dried  mud  whitewashed.  It  probably  had 
no  window  and  no  chimney.  A  hole  in  the  roof  and  the 
open  door  answered  instead.  But  as  the  people  lived  an 
outdoor  life,  even  cooking  outside  in  fair  weather,  thq 
house  was  a  sufficient  shelter. 

All  the  water,  to-day,  as  then,  for  the  entire  village, 
must  be  brought  from  a  large  spring  or  fountain  near  the 
foot  of  the  hill. 

Note  5.    The  Fountain  at  Nazareth 

We  can  come  down  from  the  hilltop  through  one  of 
these  narrow  streets  to  the  very  fountain  from  which 
Mary  used  to  draw  water.  The  arch  over  it  may  be  a 
modern  one,  but  the  fountain  is  the  only  one  Nazareth 
ever  had.  This  fountain  is  conducted  from  a  spring 
above,  over  which  to-day  stands  a  Christian  Church  on 
the  site  where,  it  is  claimed,  the  angel  appeared  to  Mary. 
Just  to  our  left  is  another  church,  which  claims  to  oc- 
cupy the  spot  where  Jesus  attended  the  synagog,  and 
later  preached  His  first  sermon.  The  women  of  Nazareth 
have  always  been  noted  for  their  beaiity,  owing,  it  is 
claimed,  to  the  blessing  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  They  dress 
like  the  women  of  Bethlehem,  except  that  instead  of  a 
stiff  head-dress,  on  each  side  of  the  face  is  a  rouleau  of 
silver  coins  fastened  to  a  pad  which  is  fitted  to  the  head. 
It  is  to  coins  worn  in  this  fashion  that  our  Savior 
alluded  in  the  parable  of  the  Lost  Piece  of  Silver.  As  the 
women  come  with  their  empty  jars,  they  carry  them  on  the 
side,  then  turn  them  upright  as  they  take  them  away  full. 


NOTES  273 

They  seem  very  heavy,  but  the  women  carry  them  with  a 
light,  graceful  step  up  the  steep  lanes  of  Nazareth.  The 
loaded  donkeys  on  their  way  to  Cana  or  Jerusalem  or 
Damascus  are  seen  to-day  as  then,  and  just  beyond  is 
the  village  Inn,  an  open  court  with  a  shelter  at  one  side, 
as  was  the  Inn  at  Bethlehem.  A  cattle  market  is  often 
held  there. 

Note  6.    The  Sights  in  Crossing  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon 

"When  the  Nazareth  cavalcade  went  down  into  the  Plain 
of  Esdraelon  moving  southward,  the  first  streams  they 
crossed  would  be  flowing  westward,  but  as  they  went 
onward  to  where  the  Plain  slopes  toward  the  Jordan  the 
brooks  would  all  be  flowing  eastward.  This  eastern  end 
of  the  Plain  has  always  been  frequented  by  shepherdS;, 
some  of  whom  have  their  homes  beyond  the  Jordan. 

To  these  streams  they  still  come,  as  in  the  days  when 
Jesus  walked  through,  leading  their  sheep  "  by  the  side  of 
still  waters."  They  live  wild,  lonely  lives,  but,  as  in  the 
time  of  Jesus,  they  are  faithful  to  their  flocks,  still  some- 
times in  this  very  Plain  protecting  them  from  the  Bedawin 
robbers  at  the  cost  of  their  lives.  They  often  carry  the 
smaller  lambs  in  their  bosoms  or  under  their  arms  in  the 
folds  of  their  cloaks.  They  find  dogs  indispensable  for 
their  assistance  to  protect  from  wild  animals  as  well  as 
from  robbers.  These  dogs,  like  the  neglected  ones  in  the 
towns,  are  shaggy  and  savage.  The  sheep  are  usually 
white,  but  sometimes  brown.  In  stormy  weather  they 
are  sheltered  in  the  hillside  caves  or  in  rough  enclosures 
of  stone.  Even  as  in  His  day,  the  shepherds  lead  their 
sheep  instead  of  driving  them,  and  they  know  their  sheep 
by  name.  The  goats  come  down  to  the  water  with  the 
sheep,  but  the  flocks  seldom  mingle. 

It  was  in  the  spring,  when  the  ewes  bring  forth  their 
young  asid  the  thick  mud  of  the  Plain  has  dried  and  pro- 
duced its  early  crop  of  grass,  that  Jesus  on  his  way  to  the 
Passover  would  pass  through  innumerable  flocks.  The 
fact  that  the  first  employment  of  his  forefathers  was  that 


274  NOTES 

of  shepherds  and  that  sheep  were  the  customary  victims 
of  sacrifice,  as  well  as  because  of  the  beautiful  analogies 
they  suggest,  would  help  explain  his  frequent  references 
to  shepherds  and  sheep. 

Very  likely  the  sheep  which  the  Nazareth  men  brought 
to  Jerusalem  for  sacrifice  came  either  from  the  Plain  of 
Esdraelon  or  the  sheepfolds  of  Bethlehem. 

Note  7.     The  General  Outlines  of  the  Holy  Land 

Now  that  Jesus  is  going  out  into  the  world  it  is  desira- 
ble to  know  the  outlines  of  that  little  country  which  was 
to  be  the  sphere  of  his  work.  The  map,  especially  the 
relief  map,  becomes  necessary  here. 

You  notice  first  its  four  great  divisions,  strips  of  vari- 
ous heights  all  broadening  toward  the  south.  They  are, 
from  the  left;  the  lowland  plain,  the  tableland  sloping 
gently  down  to  the  west  and  steeply  to  the  east,  the  Jordan 
Valley  and  the  highlands  east  of  it.  These  divisions  are 
cut  in  two,  as  you  observe,  by  the  Plain  of  Esdrae- 
lon, bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Carmel  range,  which  at 
its  western  end  juts  out  into  the  sea.  How  remarkable 
are  the  contrasts  of  elevation.  Here,  close  to  us,  is  the 
Dead  Sea,  thirteen  hundred  feet  below  the  level  of  the 
sea,  and  there,  just  beyond  the  little  lake  that  is  the  source 
of  the  Jordan,  is  Mt.  Hermon,  nine  thousand  feet  above 
it.  The  levels  of  these  four  strips  vary  so  much  in 
climate  as  well  as  in  elevation  that  five  out  of  the  eight 
physical  zones  of  the  earth  are  represented  within  this 
tiny  country.  Between  the  Mount  of  Olives,  two  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  twentj^-three  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
the  valley  of  the  Dea  Sea,  one  thousand  two  hundred  and 
ninety-two  feet  below  it,  twenty  miles  distance,  one  can 
find  the  pine  and  the  palm,  the  cane  and  the  wheat,  the 
skylark  and  the  grackle,  the  mountain  wolf  and  the 
gazelle.  The  mountains  around  Jerusalem  may  be  seen 
covered  with  snow,  while  the  Jordan  valley  is  green  with 
tropical  desert.  North  are  the  glaciers  of  Hermon;  south 
is  the  steaming  cauldron  of  the  Dead  Sea. 


NOTES  275 

It  is  a  little  country.  From  Hermon's  summit  it  is  all 
visible.  Nearly  every  high  hill  on  the  central  tableland 
comprehends  a  view  both  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the 
Jordan,  the  western  and  the  eastern  boundaries. 

It  is  interesting  to  notice  how  Jesus  covered  this  land 
over  and  over  again  in  his  journeys.  With  the  exception 
of  the  lowland  plain,  he  seems  to  have  gone  into  every 
part. 

In  his  first  journey  to  Jerusalem  he  comes  directly  over 
the  backbone  of  the  central  tableland,  past  Tabor,  Gilboa, 
Carmel,  Ebal  and  Bethel. 

When  he  went  to  his  baptism  he  walked  down  to  the 
Jordan  valley  at  Bethabara  and  traced  that  stream  down 
its  deep,  hot  valley,  nearly  to  the  Dead  Sea. 

His  temptations  took  him  through  the  Wilderness  of 
Judea,  between  the  Dead  Sea  and  Jerusalem. 

When  he  returned  to  call  his  first  friends  he  went  up 
this  valley  to  the  Lake  of  Galilee  and  Capernaum,  on  the 
northwest  shore,  passing  through  Tiberias,  the  northern 
capital.  Down  this  valley  he  came  again  with  the  fisher- 
men to  the  Passover. 

Then  he  made  a  circuit  of  Judea  with  them,  possibly 
going  even  as  far  south  as  Hebron. 

He  went  back  to  Nazareth  and  Cana  over  the  tableland 
through  Samaria. 

His  first  year's  ministry  took  him  all  about  Galilee,  with 
his  headquarters  at  Capernaum.  The  Mount  of  Beati- 
tudes is  west  of  the  lake. 

When  he  had  been  rejected  at  Bethsaida  he  went  into 
upper  Galilee  and  Phoenicia  to  Tyre  and  Sidon  on  the 
coast  and  perhaps  over  the  mountains  eastward  in  sight 
of  Damascus  on  the  border  of  the  great  plains  of  the 
Assyrian  desert.  He  returned  home  through  the  Decapo- 
lis  east  of  the  Lake. 

After  he  had  returned  to  Capernaum  he  went  due  north 
up  the  Jordan  and  climbed  Mount  Hermon,  at  the  timet 
of  the  Transfiguration. 

Down  the  Jordan  or  over  the  tableland  he  went  for  the 


276  NOTES 

last  time  to  Jerusalem.  Thence  he  is  heard  of  in  Perea, 
the  region  east  of  the  Jordan,  in  Samaria  and  in  the 
borders  of  Judea. 

At  the  Passover  at  Jerusalem  he  gave  his  life. 

Judea,  Samaria,  Galilee,  Phoenicia,  Decapolis,  Upper 
Galilee,  Perea,  Jerusalem — all  these  in  turn  witnessed  the 
working  out  of  his  systematic,  orderly  campaigns  of 
testimony. 

If  you  like  to  plot  out  the  campaigns  of  your  favorite 
military  heroes,  keep  the  map  ever  before  you  and  master 
in  the  same  manner  the  campaigns  of  Jesus. 

Note  8.    Jerusalem  from  near  the   place  from  which  it 
was  first  seen  by  Jesus 

There  is  a  hill  a  little  northeast  of  Jerusalem,  now 
called  Mount  Scopus,  but  named  by  the  Crusaders  Mount 
Joy,  because  in  their  invasion  of  the  Holy  Land  from 
Acre  on  the  north  it  was  the  point  from  which  they  first 
caught  sight  of  their  coveted  goal.  This  spot  is  not  far 
from  the  old  roadway  from  Nazareth,  so  that  if  we  enter 
as  Jesus  did,  this  is  the  view  he  had,  one  which  includes 
the  whole  of  the  city  at  once.  From  this  viewpoint  the 
northeastern  corner  of  the  city  is  directly  before  us,  with 
the  full  length  of  the  eastern  wall  stretching  off  to  our 
left,  and  the  northern  wall  more  dimly  seen  extending  off 
to  the  right.  The  city  is  seen  to  be  built  on  a  headland  or 
tongue  of  land  stretching  southward,  which  drops  down 
at  the  south  into  two  valleys,  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  on 
the  west  and  south,  and  the  Valley  of  the  Kedron  on  the 
east.  Since  Jesus'  day  the  city  has  been  growing  steadily 
northward  and  now  there  is  as  much  of  it  outside  as 
within  the  walls.  The  largest  dome  in  the  city  is  seen 
over  the  center  of  the  eastern  wall — the  Dome  of  the 
Rock — and  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  Temple  area,  on 
the  site  of  the  Temple.  A  white  modern  tower  near  the 
center  of  the  city  belongs  to  the  German  Church  of  St. 
John,  and  a  short  distance  farther  to  the  right  are  the  two 
domes  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 


NOTES  277 

Jerusalem  in  those  early  days,  as  now,  was  a  walled 
city,  and  the  wall  on  the  east  side  had,  perhaps  because  it 
was  nearest  the  Temple,  been  demolished  and  rebuilt 
oftener  than  any  other.  The  present  wall  is  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years  old. 

This  wall  rises  at  the  further  corner,  its  oldest  part,  to 
a  height  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  ground. 
The  rubbish  that  has  gathered  at  the  root  is  in  places  from 
sixty  to  ninety-five  feet  deep.  The  wall  is  now  hemmed 
by  extensive  cemeteries,  and  this  fact,  with  the  sombre 
gray  of  the  dome-roofed  houses  and  the  oppressive  silence 
of  the  place  most  of  the  day,  makes  the  city,  upon  ap- 
proach, seem  a  most  mournful  place. 

The  "  Dome  of  the  Rock,"  which  stands  on  the  site  of 
the  Temple,  is  very  close  to  this  eastern  wall.  The  city 
was  probably  then,  as  it  is  to-day,  a  collection  of  low, 
uninteresting  houses  with  narrow  streets,  but  it  was  the 
Temple  that  made  it  glorious.  How  its  white  marble 
must  have  shone  beside  the  brick  limestone  and  mud  of 
the  humbler  houses !  In  Jesus'  day  the  view  of  it  was 
somewhat  obstructed,  however,  on  the  side  nearest  to  us 
by  the  Roman  fortress  of  Antonia.  West  of  that  was 
probably  the  council  house  of  the  Sanhedrin.  Still  fur- 
ther west  was  the  gymnasium  and  the  lofty  palace  of  the 
Asmoneans,  built  by  the  ancestors  of  the  patriot  Macca- 
bees and  used  in  the  time  of  Jesus  by  Herod  as  his 
residence. 

The  gate  which  pierced  this  eastern  wall  nearest  the 
Temple  (seen  nearest  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  from  here) 
was  the  chief  entrance  to  that  holy  place,  and,  as  it  opened 
into  the  path  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  Bethany,  which 
are  east  of  the  city,  was  the  one  used  most  often  by  Jesus. 
It  is  called  the  Golden  Gate  and  is  now  sealed  up. 
Nearer  us  in  this  eastern  wall  is  St.  Stephen's  Gate,  so- 
called  because,  according  to  a  very  ancient  tradition,  it 
was  from  this  gate  that  Stephen  was  dragged  by  the  mob, 
and  just  outside  it  he  was  stoned. 


378  NOTES 

Over  the  hills  that  surround  the  city,  to  the  southwest, 
lies  Bethlehem. 

Note  9.     Where  did  John  the  Baptist  Live  ? 

On  the  way  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  the  traveler 
passes  through  a  part  of  the  Wilderness  of  Judea. 
Among  the  many  brooks  that  plunge  down  the  caiions 
of  that  waste  of  rock  and  sand  is  one  called  the  Wady 
Kelt  to-day,  which  many  believe  to  be  the  Brook  Cherith 
of  the  Old  Testament.  The  region  is  that  of  the  exile  of 
Elijah.  Up  under  the  shelter  of  the  perpendicular  crags 
is  a  convent  which  claims  to  occupy  the  site  of  Elijah's 
shelter. 

As  John's  hero  was  Elijah  it  would  not  be  strange  if 
this  very  spot,  which  has  for  generations  been  held  in 
tradition  as  Elijah's  Cherith  stopping  place,  should  have 
been  his  abode.  The  deep  gorge,  the  brook  and  the  path 
that  follows  it  are  along  an  old  thiet-infested  road.  There 
is  a  cave  above  the  convent :  a  good  hiding  place  for 
Elijah  and  for  a  man  who  had  many  things  to  think  out. 
Ah !  how  still  it  would  be,  and  how  lonely  those  tawny 
cliffs  and  somber  bushes.  Such  a  man  would  need  to  be  a 
hunter  and  woodsman  and  naturalist,  a  Thoreau  for  sim- 
ple living;  a  St.  Francis  perhaps  in  his  communion  with 
the  beasts,  but  in  his  moral  courage  a  John  Knox  who 
dared  to  stand  before  kings  and  queens  and  tell  them  the 
truth.  You  know  how  simple  and  direct  and  fearless 
often  are  those  who  dwell  aloof  and  think  on  noble  things. 

Note  10.    Baptizing  in  the  Jordan  To-day 

Ten  or  a  dozen  miles  east  of  the  old  convent  in  the 
Cherith  canyon  is  the  Jordan,  and  there,  at  the  spot 
nearest  to  the  road  from  Jericho  to  the  river,  is  still 
pointed  out  the  scene  of  John's  baptizing.  It  is  in  the 
midst  of  a  jungle  of  small  trees  and  flowering  shrubs. 

How  turbid  and  uninteresting  is  this  River  Jordan, 
which  was  the  scene  of  Joshua's  triumphant  crossing, 
which  is  glorified  in  our  hymnology  as  the  symbol  of  the 


NOTES  279 

Christian's  death  and  into  which  Russian  and  Coptic 
pilgrims  rush  each  year  by  thousands  to  wash  their  sins 
away !  The  bushes  that  line  the  shore  have  been  torn 
away  in  the  rapid  fall  of  the  river  from  its  lofty  fountain 
one  thousand  three  hundred  feet  above  in  the  Lake  of 
Galilee.  This  is  near  the  Dead  Sea/ you  know,  the  deepest 
bowl  in  the  earth's  surface,  one  thousand  two  hundred 
and  ninety  feet  below  the  level  of  the  sea. 

We  should  remember  concerning  this  river,  to  which 
thousands  of  modern  pilgrims  come  each  year,  that  it 
was  never  to  the  Hebrews  a  sacred  or  beloved  stream. 
It  is  unlovely,  its  shores  were  never  thickly  populated 
and  it  was  never  more  than  a  boundaiy  line  to  Israel. 

The  Russians  to-day  who  are  baptized  in  the  Jordan  are 
dressed  in  their  shrouds,  surrounded  by  spectators  who 
wear  the  garb  of  the  time  of  Jesus,  and  protected  by 
Arab  chiefs  who  have  guarded  them  from  the  assault  of 
other  tribes  down  the  dangerous  road  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jericho. 

Note  II.     The  Plain  of  Jericho 

Only  four  or  five  miles  westward,  across  the  plain  from 
the  traditional  site  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus,  we  may  stand 
on  the  acclivity  that  leads  up  to  the  traditional  mount  of 
the  temptation,  and,  therefore,  get  a  part  of  the  same 
view  southeastward  which  Jesus  would  see  if  He  climbed 
to  the  mountain  top.  Yonder  to  the  right  we  have  our 
first  glimpse  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  to  the  left,  see  the 
Jordan  glimmer  in  the  sun  as  it  rushes  to  its  grave  in  the 
Dead  Sea.  Still  farther  away,  beyond  the  Jordan,  stand 
the  gray  ramparts  of  the  hills  of  Moab,  which  rise  at  the 
extreme  left  into  Mount  Nebo,  the  burial  place  of  Moses, 
who  from  those  mountains  caught  sight  of  the  Canaan  he 
could  not  enter.  Could  we  see  farther  beyond  the  sea  at 
the  right  and  over  the  intervening  cliffs,  we  would  catch 
sight  of  Machaerus,  Herod's  castle,  where  John  the 
Baptist  suffered  imprisonment  and  death.  Looking 
nearer,  we  see  the  once  fertile  and  palm-covered  plain  of 


280  NOTES 

the  Jordan,  covered  now  only  with  stunted  trees  and 
bushes.  It  is  a  picture  of  the  wreck  of  human  glory. 
There  have  been  at  least  three  Jerichos.  Where  the  plain 
rises  near  us  into  a  higher  plateau,  over  which  a  path 
rvuis,  stood  Old  Testament  Jericho.  The  few  heaps 
there  now  are  later  than  those  of  the  walls  which  tumbled 
down  at  Joshua's  attack.  The  aqueduct  near  us  was  prob- 
ably here  in  Jesus'  time,  and  stretches  down  across  the 
plain  to  New  Testament  Jericho,  which  is  at  the  extreme 
right  and  half  way  to  the  sea.  Modern  Jericho  is  to  the 
left  in  the  distance,  a  miserable  village.  We  are  over  a 
thousand  feet  below  the  level  of  the  ocean  and  over  three 
thousand  five  hundred  feet  below  Jerusalem.  The  climate 
is  sultry  and  enervating.  Jericho,  though  rich,  has,  be- 
cause of  its  nerveless  inhabitants,  been  the  spoil  of  many 
captures.  Smith  says :  "  She  never  stood  a  siege,  and 
her  inhabitants  were  always  running  away.  No  great  man 
was  born  in  her,  no  heroic  deed  was  done  in  her.  She 
was  only  a  pantry  of  Judea." 

The  Israelites  came  down  over  the  mountains  of  Moab, 
at  our  extreme  left,  from  their  last  camping  place  at 
Heshbon.  They  crossed  the  river  near  the  traditional 
spot  of  the  baptism  of  Jesus.  Before  them  stood  this 
Jericho,  "  city  of  palms,"  hidden  by  a  forest  of  luxuriant 
foliage  eight  miles  long,  the  capital  of  the  district,  which 
must  be  captured  if  they  would  make  any  further  advance 
into  the  white  limestone  mountains  of  Judea,  that  stood 
like  a  rampart  before  them.  Down  the  path  before  us,, 
near  ancient  Jericho,  is  Elisha's  spring,  the  only  spring 
of  good  water  anywhere  near  either  ancient  or  modern 
Jericho.  It  was  these  waters  that  Elisha  sweetened,  and 
from  here  down  to  the  river  walked  Elisha  and  Elijah  at 
the  latter's  translation.  From  this  well  must  have  come 
the  water  upon  Zacchaeus'  table  when  our  Lord  was  enter- 
tained here,  and  from  this  fountain  the  Herod  who  slew 
the  infants  of  Bethlehem,  and  who  spent  his  last  days  at 
Jericho,  must  have  drunk. 

If  Jesus  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  behind  us 


NOTES  281 

He  would  have  looked  in  every  direction.  The  view 
reaches  from  Hebron  to  Bethel  and  Ramah  on  the  west, 
and  includes  the  Holy  City.  A  temptation  suggested  by 
this  mountain-top  vision  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
would  embrace  Israel's  history  from  its  passage  of  the 
Jordan  to  its  glory  under  Solomon  when  this  height  was 
the  center  and  not  the  outpost  of  his  extended  domain. 
It  would  include  Abraham  and  Moses  and  Elijah  and 
Elisha  and  David.  It  would  consider  this  narrow  path 
from  the  Jordan  as  the  roadway  of  prophets,  priests, 
kings,  crusaders  and  armies  of  all  nations.  Through  this 
valley  once  moved  the  stately  train  of  Cleopatra,  here 
passed  Herod's  funeral  and  here  camped  some  of  our 
own  forefathers  on  their  holy  quest  to  the  sepulchre  of 
Jesus. 

Note  12.     The   View   from  the    Eastern    Wall,    "the 
Pinnacle  of  the  Temple  " 

If  we  return  from  Jericho  to  Jerusalem  we  can  stand 
on  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city  just  about  where  "  the 
pinnacle  of  the  temple  "  was  and  look  over  the  chasm  of 
the  Kedron. 

Here  we  can  see  how  deep  is  this  gorge,  or  valley,  of 
Kedron,  which  runs  along  this  east  side  of  Jerusalem. 
Yonder  across  the  valley  is  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Beyond 
that  hill  lies  Jericho  and  the  Jordan  from  which  we  have 
come.  The  road  farthest  to  the  left  leads  to  Jericho,  and 
the  roads  running  off  to  the  right  lead  to  Bethany,  which 
lies  just  over  this  hill,  believed  to  be  the  one  over  which 
Christ  came  from  Bethany  at  the  time  of  His  triumphal 
entry  into  Jerusalem.  A  small  enclosure,  containing  tall, 
dark  cypress  trees,  and  a  few  old  olives,  down  there  where 
the  several  roads  meet,  is  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane, 
where  later  Jesus  spent  His  last  night  of  awful  suffering. 
The  modern  tower  at  the  top  of  the  hill  claims  to  occupy 
the  site  of  the  ascension.  Thus  the  places  of  the  Agony, 
the  Triumphal  Procession  and  the  Ascension  were  all  in- 
cluded in  his  view  at  his  temptation. 


282  NOTES 

Note  13.     Life  on  the  Shore  of  Galilee 

When  Jesus  went  up  the  Jordan  from  Jerusalem  to 
Capernaum  he  probably  passed  through  Tiberias. 

Bethsaida  and  Capernaum  have  vanished,  but  the  town 
of  Tiberias,  the  capital  and  home  of  Herod  Philip,  re- 
mains, and  in  its  busy  life  we  can  see  what  was  the 
nature  and  toil  of  the  fishermen  who  followed  Jesus,  and 
from  whom  He  chose  many  of  His  friends  and  disciples. 
A  moment's  study  of  the  life  of  the  fishermen  is  appro- 
priate here,  because,  with  the  exception  of  the  brief  min- 
istry in  Jndea,  the  Master's  life  divides  into  four  periods : 
the  ministry  in  a  human  home,  the  ministry  of  service  in 
Galilee,  the  ministry  of  teaching  in  Perea,  and  the  min- 
istry of  atonement  in  Jerusalem,  and  we  are  really  just 
now  entering  the  second  period,  among  the  fishermen  of 
Galilee,  of  which  the  Judean  work  had  been  but  a  brief 
interruption.  A  broad,  stout  fishing  boat,  with  its  curious 
sail,  moored  beside  the  old  Roman  fortress  of  Tiberias 
now,  is  such  a  boat  as  that  in  which  Christ  often  sailed 
this  sea,  and  from  its  stern  preached  to  such  a  motley 
company  as  those  on  its  shores  to-day.  The  people  are 
still  many  of  them  Jews.  The  fish  that  the  fishermen 
catch  now  are  the  small  fish,  such  as  the  boy  brought  to 
Jesus,  not  the  large  ones  caught  out  in  the  depths  of  the 
lake.  The  lake  still  swarms  with  fish,  but  the  inhabitants 
are  too  indolent  to  go  out  after  them.  In  the  time  of 
Jesus,  Josephus  says  that  the  fishing  and  the  attendant 
commerce  supported  nine  large  towns  on  the  lake  shore, 
so  that  in  his  day  the  houses  and  hamlets  must  have  been 
nearly  continuous,  at  least  on  the  western  side.  To-day. 
all  but  Tiberias  are  obliterated,  and  the  site  of  Caper- 
naum is  not  even  known. 

The  fortress  of  Tiberias  is  a  reminder  of  its  Roman 
palace,  where  reigned  in  Jesus'  day  Herod  Philip,  the 
mildest  and  best  of  the  Herods.  Perhaps  because  it  was 
so  largely  a  foreign  city  it  is  not  mentioned  in  the  gospels 
that  Jesus  ever  preached  in  Tiberias. 


.     NOTES  283 

Note  14.    A  Wedding  To-day  in  Palestine 

The  wedding  procession,  says  the  Hastings  Dictionary 
of  the  Bible,  naturally  fell  into  two  parts.  First,  the 
bridegroom  and  his  friends  marched  to  the  home  of  the 
bride.  The  attendant  throng  gave  vent  to  its  jubilant 
feelings  in  dancing  and  shouting.  Then  came  the  return, 
the  escorting  of  the  bride  to  the  house  of  the  groom  by 
himself  and  his  friends.  The  close  of  this  journey  at  the 
bridegroom's  gate  is  a  scene  we  may  witness  in  any 
Palestine  street  to-day.  We  may  see  the  bride,  in  her 
gala  array,  mounted,  carrying  her  husband's  sword,  used 
in  the  service  to  symbolize  his  authority,  the  groom  and 
his  friends  are  by  her  side,  the  women  attendants  of  the 
bride  are  following  behind.  The  rest  are  interested  neigh- 
bors. Jesus  at  the  feast  would  have  been  in  the  company 
of  escorts  to  the  bride,  and  when  once  within  the  house, 
would  have  been  seated  near  the  bridal  party  and  "  the 
master  of  the  feast." 

Note  15.     The  Region  about  Jacob's  Well 

If  we  should  stand  on  the  slopes  of  Mount  Ebal  to-day 
we  could  look  over  the  top  of  the  tableland  of  Judea  as 
far  south  as  Shiloh  and  even  Bethel.  The  path  that 
stretches  southward,  as  the  map  shows,  is  approximately 
the  one  along  which  Abraham  traveled  from  Sheehem  to 
Bethel.  It  is  the  road  up  which  the  wearied  Jesus  came 
on  his  way  back  to  Nazareth.  Returning  to  Galilee, 
Jesus  stepped  aside  at  Jacob's  well,  which  may  be  seen 
in  the  white  enclosure  of  the  Greek  monastery  garden 
down  to  the  left.  He  took  the  road  to  Galilee,  close  to 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  when  he  went  on  to  Sychar. 
He  passed  Joseph's  tomb  (a  white-domed  building), 
which  Jacob  won  from  the  Amorites  with  his  sword  and 
gave  to  Joseph.  Here  to-day  Hebrews,  Samaritans, 
Mohammedans  and  Christians  face  in  four  different  direc- 
tions and  pray  to  the  Supreme  God.  Sheehem  and 
Samaria,  as  you  see  by  the  map,  are  at  the  end  of  the 
path  which  passes  out  of  sight  between  the  mountains  to 


284  NOTES 

the  west.  A  ruined  temple  within  the  more  ancient 
temple  of  the  Samaritans  is  still  seen  on  the  summit  of 
Gerizim.  There  they  claim  Abraham  went  to  sacrifice 
Isaac,  and  there  they  keep  the  Passover.  Joshua's  home 
was  beyond  the  slope  of  Gerizim.  It  was  amid  these  his- 
toric scenes,  between  the  peaks  of  Ebal  and  Gerizim, 
that  Joshua  gathered  Israel  for  the  dedication  of  the  land. 
There  is  a  little  Moslem  chapel  behind  i;s  which  had  once 
been  a  sacred  place  among  the  peasantry,  and  which  may 
be  the  site  of  the  monumental  altar  which  Joshua  erected. 
Gerizim,  the  mount  of  blessing,  is  sometimes  represented 
by  the  poets  as  green,  and  Ebal,  the  mount  of  cursing,  as 
bare,  but  both  are  equally  bare  to-day. 

Note  i6.    Jacob's  Well 

As  we  descend  into  the  little  chapel  which  surrounds 
the  mouth  of  Jacob's  well,  which  is  now  several  feet  below 
the  surface  of  the  meadow  we  see  in  its  center  a  round 
smooth  stone  well-curb,  which  marks  perhaps  the  only 
place  where  we  may  be  absolutely  sui-e  that  Jesus  once 
sat.  The  well  at  one  time  was  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  deep,  but  so  many  stones  have  been  thrown  into  it 
by  pilgrims,  that  it  is  now  not  more  than  seventy -five  feet 
deep.  There  is  still  plenty  of  water  at  the  bottom,  and, 
of  course,  every  traveler  wants  a  cool  cup  from  the 
patriarch's  well.  You  will  perhaps  see  close  to  the  well  a 
water-jar  and  a  copper  pail  with  rope  for  drawing  water 
from  the  well,  and  even  a  woman  of  Sychar  with  head- 
dress and  veil  who,  as  she  sits  by  the  well,  will  remind 
you,  in  her  very  manner,  of  the  woman  who  sat  there  and 
talked  with  Jesus.  This  ruined  chapel  contains  to-day  a 
few  hanging  lamps  and  sacred  pictures,  and  is  taken  care 
of  by  the  Greek  monks. 

Note  17.  Modern  Lepers 

Forty  or  fifty  of  these  wretched  people  may  generally 
be  seen  outside  Jerusalem.  They  seat  themselves  by  a 
wall  near  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane.  They  are  found  in 
other  parts  of  Palestine,  living  in  pitiful  seclusion,  "  afar 


NOTES  285 

from  the  dwellings  of  men."  Such  horrible  sights  make 
plain  to  travelers  to-day  the  awfulness  of  misery  and  sin 
to  which  Jesus  ministered.  These  lepers  to-day,  with 
horrible,  unintelligible  soimds,  beg  from  the  passer  by, 
but  never  attempt  to  come  near  him;  yet  Jesus  touched 
them.  The  disobedience  and  ingratitude  of  the  leper  often 
marked  his  disfigurement  as  one  of  soul  as  well  as  of 
body. 
Note  i8.    The  Court  of  a  Village  House  in  Galilee 

As  Jesus  comes  back  from  Jerusalem  and  Samaria  to 
begin  his  Galilean  ministry,  we  want  to  know  more  about 
the  house  life  of  the  people  among  whom  he  now  made 
his  home. 

Some  of  the  houses  which  stand  to-day  in  Galilee  re- 
semble in  their  structure  the  homes  of  Jesus'  day.  They 
are  built  of  substantial  limestone  masonry,  and  their 
arches  have  earven  religious  emblems.  The  house  is  a 
castle,  forbidding  and  windowless  without,  but  with 
plenty  of  social  life  in  the  grass-gTown  inner  court,  where 
the  family  live  most  of  the  time  in  fair  weather.  The 
flat  roof  covers  an  upper  room,  approached  by  a  stair- 
way on  the  outside.  Goats,  who  furnish  milk  and  meat, 
and  whose  skins  are  receptacles  for  wine,  share  the 
sociability  within.  They  sleep  with  the  cattle  in  the  first 
story  under  the  archways.  Several  families  live  together 
in  these  large  houses.  The  number  of  children  and  dogs 
present  suggest  how  noisy  their  family  life  must  be.  You 
will  still  see  the  woman  grinding  at  the  mill  with  her 
kneading  trough  near  by,  and  others  washing  clothes, 
with  an  extremely  frugal  amount  of  water.  The  earthen- 
ware is  dilapidated,  and  the  waterpots  remind  us  of  those 
used  in  Nazareth  and  Cana. 

Jesus  probably  taught  when  he  was  at  home  in  a  win- 
dow or  gallery  of  the  second  story  overlooking  the  court- 
yard, and  the  people  were  around  him  and  below.  If  the 
house  where  he  spoke  were  a  one-story  one,  he  would  sit 
or  stand  in  the  doorway  and  the  people  were  both  inside 
and  without. 


286  NOTES 

Note  19.     Summer    Houses    and    House  Roofs    in    Pal- 
estine. 

A  study  of  the  house  roofs  of  Galilee  to-day  gives  us 
new  light  on  the  outdoor  life  of  the  ancient  Galileans. 
They  are  flat,  made  of  small  poles  covered  with  brush- 
wood and  hardened  clay.  In  springtime  they  often  soften 
up  and  soak  down  into  the  house.  It  is  easy  to  realize 
how  men  could  climb  up  to  them  by  the  outside  stairway 
and  break  them  up  when  they  wished  to  let  their  fellow 
sufferer  down  to  where  Jesus  was. 

Each  roof,  according  to  the  ancient  law,  has  a  battle- 
ment for  the  protection  of  those  who  may  rest  on  the  roof 
or  those  passing  below.  Where  the  houses  are  near  to- 
gether it  is  possible  to  run  from  one  roof  to  another, 
which  gave  rise  to  the  saying,  "  Tell  it  upon  the  house- 
tops." 

Over  the  door,  close  to  the  ceiling,  two  or  three  small 
holes  are  sometimes  left  for  smoke  to  pass  out  in  weather 
which  requires  that  the  house  door  be  shut.  Chimneys 
are  unknown. 

Upon  these  roofs  the  people  to-day  often  build  shelters 
of  green  branches,  which  are  open  to  the  air  but  not  to 
the  sun.  It  was  in  such  booths  that  the  Israelites  of  the 
time  of  Jesus  spent  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  and  it  has 
been  conjectured  that  seeing  such  summer  shelters  at 
Caesarea,  where  they  are  common  to-day,  suggested  to 
Peter  his  wish  to  build  three  such  "  tabernacles "  for 
Jesus,  Moses  and  Elijah.  The  housetop  thus  was  to  Jesus 
the  place  of  quiet  thought  and  prayer  and  of  converse 
with  his  friends.  His  talk  with  Nicodemus,  with  its 
reference  to  the  springtime  breeze,  may  well  have  been 
upon  a  Jerusalem  house  roof. 

Note  20.    From  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes  to  Capernaum 

The  twin  peaks  of  Kurn  Hattin,  a  dozen  miles  south- 
west of  the  supposed  Capernaum,  are  commonly  believed 
to  be  the  mountain  where  Jesus  spoke  the  Beatitudes. 
They  are  accessible  to  all  lower  Galilee,  and  the  view  from 


NOTES  287 

the  top  commands  the  chief  places  of  Jesus'  Galilean 
ministry. 

Here,  where  Jesus  spoke  His  words  of  peace,  was 
fought,  in  1182,  the  last  battle  between  the  Crusaders 
and  the  Saracens,  when  the  Christian  kingdom  of  Judea 
passed  away.  The  steep  cleft  in  the  range  between  the 
mountain  and  the  Lake  is  called  the  Valley  of  the  Pigeons, 
because  of  the  multitude  of  pigeons  that  make  their  nests 
in  its  walls.  Just  beyond  it  is  Magdala.  The  level  place 
beyond,  on  the  northwestern  shore  of  Galilee,  is  the  Plain 
of  Gennesaret.  Somewhere  on  that  curve  of  shore  lay 
Capernaum  and  Bethsaida,  long  vanished  and  lost. 

Up  through  that  gorge,  which  Herod  just  before  Jesus' 
time  had  cleared  of  a  nest  of  robbers,  and  through  the 
fertile  gi-ain  fields,  Jesus  must  have  often  walked  to  the 
grassy  slopes  of  his  favorite  mountain  retreat.  Here  the 
Twelve  and  the  multitudes  gathered  at  his  bidding.  This 
is  probably  also  that  "  mountain  in  Galilee  "  where  he  is 
said  to  have  appeared  after  the  resurrection. 

Note  21.     Nain  and  Mount  Tabor  in  Galilee 

The  little  village  of  Nain  would  never  have  been  heard 
of  if  Jesus  had  not  performed  a  deed  of  mercy  near  it. 
It  lies  up  in  the  hill  country  a  long  way  west  of  Caper- 
naum and  south  of  Nazareth.  It  nestles  on  the  north- 
western slope  of  the  range  of  Little  Hermon,  and  looks 
across  the  valley  at  Mount  Tabor,  the  most  beautiful  hill 
in  the  Holy  Land.  Find  it  on  your  map,  and  note  its 
relation  to  other  familiar  places  in  Galilee. 

It  is  always  easy  enough  to  recognize  Mount  Tabor, 
rising,  a  perfect  cone,  out  yonder  to  the  northeast.  There 
Barak  quartered  his  army,  and  in  that  plain  below  van- 
quished Sisera.  The  Sea  of  Galilee  lies  a  few  miles  away 
to  the  right  of  Tabor,  and  Mount  Hermon,  sixty  miles 
away  in  the  same  direction.  Nazareth  is  about  seven  miles 
due  north,  or  to  the  left  of  Tabor.  This  town  of  Nain  is 
near  the  road  over  the  hills  between  Nazareth  and  Jeru- 
salem.   The  Damascus  road  passed  around  to  the  left  of 


288  NOTES 

Tabor,  but  did  not  touch  tbis  little  town.  Two  miles 
away  on  the  road  to  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  Endor.  Just 
over  the  hill  behind  us  (Little  Hermon)  is  the  place 
where  Jesus  saw  the  shepherds  watching  their  flocks. 
Nain,  too,  has  a  sheepfold,  a  ruined  courtyard,  where 
sometimes  a  woman,  with  her  children  around  her,  may  be 
regarded  as  "  the  porter  of  the  sheep."  Only  about 
twenty  Moslem  houses  mark  this  site  of  little  side-tracked 
Nain,  which  was  probably  never  larger,  and  the  only 
substantial  building  in  the  place  is  the  Greek  church, 
which  commemorates  the  one  golden  deed  that  gives  to 
Nain  its  interest. 

The  road  from  the  Jordan  over  which  Jesus  came  on 
His  way  from  the  prosperous  cities  to  the  isolated  hill 
towns,  to  perform  His  miracle,  lies  away  to  the  east  of 
this  village.  There  is  a  hill  behind  and  to  our  right 
pierced  with  many  rock-hewn  tombs,  and  there  our 
Savior  met  the  wailing  procession  and  the  broken- 
hearted widow  outside  the  village  and  gave  her  back 
her  boy. 

Note  22.     The  Fishermen's  Boats  of  Galilee 

The  entire  circuit  of  the  lake  is  only  thirty-five  miles. 
Josephus  said  the  population  around  its  shore  was  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand.  Bethsaida  was  on  the  north- 
east shore,  the  Gadarene  region  was  east  and  southeast 
of  the  lake.  We  can  look  across  the  lake  from  near  the 
western  shore  in  front  of  Tiberias  clear  to  the  Gadarene 
coast.  We  have  learned  something  of  each  side  of  the 
lake,  except  the  southern,  which  does  not  appear  in  the 
history  of  Jesus. 

This  Lake  of  Galilee  is  six  hundred  and  eighty-two  feet 
below  sea  level,  and  has  a  tropical  climate  with  the  most 
sudden  and  dangerous  storms.  The  boats  are,  therefore, 
built  broad  of  beam  and  with  easily  shifted  sails.  Some 
of  the  parables  were  spoken  from  the  prow  of  such  boats 
as  those  of  the  present  to  men  who  were  as  rugged  as 
the  Galilean  fishermen  of  to-day.     It  was  in  as  frail  a 


NOTES  289 

eraft  as  these,  on  this  very  lake,  that  the  wearied  and  in- 
domitable Jesus  slept  until  His  disciples,  used  to  such 
storms  as  they  were,  awoke  Him  in  fright  and  implored 
His  aid.  Such  boats  were  His  ferry  across  the  lake  for 
works  of  mercy  or  periods  of  rest,  and  often  Jesus  helped 
hoist  such  sails  or  labored  with  Andrew  and  Peter  at  the 
long,  slender  oars.  The  fact  that  Jesus  seems  to  have 
ibeen  regarded  as  the  captain  whenever  he  was  aboard 
makes  legitimate  the  inference  in  the  third  chapter  that 
he  was  an  excellent  sailor  and  that  his  seamanship  was 
learned  when  he  was  a  youth  at  Nazareth.  He  learned 
how  to  catch  fish,  too,  probably  with  both  the  hand-net 
and  the  boat-net.    Seines  were  unlawful  in  these  waters. 

Note  23.     The  Northwest  Shore  of  the  Lake  of  Gali- 
lee as  seen  from  near  Bethsaida 

The  highland  at  the  extremity  of  the  plain  of  Genne- 
saret,  between  its  ruined  towns  and  Bethsaida,  gives  the 
remarkable  view  westward  of  the  chief  scenes  of  Jesus' 
Galilean  ministry  such  as  was  visible  to  those  who  fol- 
lowed Jesus  to  Bethsaida.  See  the  map.  In  the  distance 
are  the  mountains  of  Galilee.  The  great  rent  through  the 
nearer  mountain  is  the  valley  of  the  Pigeons,  and  through 
that  valley  we  can  see  the  traditional  Mount  of  Beatitudes, 
upon  which  we  stood  (see  Note  20)  and  looked  down  to 
this  shore.  Jesus'  boyhood  home,  Nazareth,  lies  about 
twenty-five  miles  away  beyond  those  mountains  directly 
before  us.  Capernaum  is  supposed  to  have  been  situated 
on  the  shore  somewhere  behind  us,  the  place  where  Jesus 
came  to  make  His  home  for  a  whole  year,  the  second  year 
of  His  ministry.  Chorazin  was  located  up  in  the  hills. 
What  prophecy  of  Jesus  has  since  then  been  fulfilled? 

The  feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  was  upon  such  a 
strand  and  hillside  as  this.  It  was  probably  on  a  similar 
stretch  of  shore  a  few  miles  behind  us  near  the  entrance 
of  the  Jordan  into  the  lake.  We  catch  here  the  situation 
and  the  view  which  Jesus  could  have  had  in  looking 
towards  this  shore  from  the  "  mountain  "  where  He  spent 


290  NOTES 

that  night  in  prayer ;  we  are  looking  upon  the  shore  where 
Jesus  and  His  disciples  landed  the  next  morning. 

Note  24.    Tyre  To-day 

The  journey  of  Jesus  from  Capernaum  to  Tyre  and  its 
location  should  be  studied  on  the  map.  Little  does  it  look 
to-day  as  Jesus  saw  it. 

It  can  best  be  seen  across  the  bay  from  a  quay  looking 
toward  the  shore  and  the  east.  This  town  was  once  the 
Venice  of  ancient  times,  the  mistress  of  the  seas.  A 
ruined  breakwater  and  some  broken  pillars  are  about  all 
there  is  of  it  now,  for  the  ancient  prophecies  have  been 
fulfilled,  and  it  is  now  only  "  a  place  for  the  spreading 
of  nets."  From  the  forests  of  Lebanon,  through  which 
Jesus  came,  were  cut  the  cedars  for  Solomon's  Temple  by 
Hiram,  and  floated  to  Joppa  from  this  port.  You  can 
see  two  sections  of  the  ancient  wall,  and  round  columns 
in  the  water,  black  with  moss,  that  long  before  Christ 
supported  graceful  arches  and  magnificent  palaces.  Paul 
came  here  on  his  last  visit  to  Jerusalem,  and  somewhere 
on  this  strand  the  Syrian  disciples  knelt  and  prayed  with 
him  at  his  departure  across  yonder  waters  to  the  south. 

Note  25.    The  Approach  to  Mount  Hermon 

Jesus  approached  Caesarea  Philippi  and  Mount  Her- 
mon from  Capernaum.  His  first  view  of  both  was,  as 
the  map  shows,  looking  north.  At  the  bottom  of  a  deep 
gorge  south  of  the  city  runs  a  stream  that  is  one  of  the 
sources  of  the  Jordan,  which  near  here  starts  on  its  south- 
ward course.  This  brook,  the  clearest  and  most  beautiful 
of  the  Jordan  sources,  proceeds  from  one  of  the  largest 
springs  in  the  world,  bounding  forth  from  it  in  full  flood, 
able  to  sweep  away  horse  and  rider  if  they  should  fall 
over  this  low  wall.  The  round  knobs  that  project  from 
the  town  wall  to-day  are  columns  from  an  older  building 
thrust  in  to  patch  this  structure,  which  was  built  in  the 
time  of  the  crusade  by  Turkish  captives  under  the  last  of 
the  Christian  conquerors. 


NOTES  291 

Mount  Hennon  "  the  sacred,"  whose  lower  slopes  are 
close  to  the  village  gate,  is  the  only  mountain  in  Palestine 
that  is  snow-crowned  all  the  year.  It  rises  nine  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea.  From  its  summit  Jesus  could  see  to 
the  east  Damascus,  to  the  south  all  the  scenes  of  his  min- 
istry, to  the  west  the  Mediterranean. 

How  beautiful  it  must  have  been  to  have  rested  alone 
with  Jesus  on  that  mountain  side ! 

Up  the  path  that  now  enters  the  ruined  village  Jesus 
probably  passed  with  the  twelve;  yonder  crest  may  as 
well  as  any  other  be  the  scene  of  the  vision,  and  it  may 
have  been  waiting  where  now  stands  the  village  gate  that 
the  father  sought  in  vain  for  the  disciples  left  behind  and 
for  his  demoniac  boy,  to  whom  Jesus  came  with  ready 
aid  in  what  someone  has  beautifully  called  "  the  trans- 
figuration in  the  valley." 

Mighty  as  was  the  fortress  of  Caesarea,  noble  as  was 
yonder  snow  clad  peak,  their  associations  to-day  are  en- 
tirely with  this  one  visit  of  the  Galilean  Teacher. 

Note  26.    The  Parable  of  the  Good  Samaritan 

It  is  startling  to  find  that  not  only  are  the  scenes  of 
Palestine  to-day  the  same,  and  the  activities  again  being 
reenacted  as  in  Jesus'  day,  but  that  even  the  deeds  men- 
tioned in  his  parables  or  stories  still  occur.  The  student 
will  be  glad  of  one  such  evidence  of  the  essentially  pictur- 
esque and  personal  character  of  the  Master's  parables. 
At  several  times  during  His  ministry  Jesus  was  in  Jericho, 
near  the  scene  of  His  earlier  temptations,  and  now  when 
he  came  up  from  Perea  he  passed  along  the  dangerous 
roadway  from  the  Jordan  to  Jerusalem.  The  Parable  of 
the  Good  Samaritan,  which  is  undated,  may  have  been 
spoken  after  his  first  visit  to  Jericho,  Jerusalem  and 
Samaria,  and  so  have  been  suggested  by  all  these  places, 
and  even  by  some  recent  actual  occurrences,  for  thefts 
were  constantly  occurring  there,  as  they  are  even  to  this 
day.    For  it  was  a  life-like  character  study  of  the  typical 


292  NOTES 

priest  and  Levite  of  Jerusalem,  and  Jesus  had  found  iq 
Syehar  of  Samaria  that  there  were  really  "  good  "  Samari- 
tans. A  traveler  who  goes  to-day  down  this  very  Jericho 
road  will  still  take  a  chieftain  to  prevent  being  robbed, 
and  he  may  be  sure  that  the  chief  himself  and  his  com- 
panions are  also  actually  robbers,  because  the  distinction 
between  a  guide  and  robber  in  this  vicinity  is  still  usually 
that  of  the  same  man  when  in  and  out  of  paid  employ- 
ment. With  the  substitution  of  donkeys  for  horses,  the 
modern  victim  would  have  in  costumes,  faces  and  even  in 
leathern  wine-bottle  the  impression  to  the  eye  which  Jesus 
gave  to  the  mind  when  He  told  this  story, 

Note  27.     Modern  Bethany 

Bethany,  Hke  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  is  on  a  hill- 
slope.  It  is  now  a  wretched,  squalid  place.  Down  to  the 
east  runs  the  road  leading  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho. 
Far  to  the  south  stretches  the  way  of  the  wilderness. 
Naturally  the  largest  ruin  in  the  town,  two  ruined  towers 
at  the  south  end,  are  pointed  out  as  the  house  of  Simon 
the  leper,  and  the  largest  open  ruin  in  the  heart  of  the 
village  is  said  to  be  the  house  of  Mary  and  Martha.  In 
and  near  Bethany  to-day  one  still  sees  on  the  woman's 
brow  the  chain  of  coins  from  which  the  "  one  piece  of 
silver,"  in  Jesus'  parable,  spoken  near  by,  was  men- 
tioned as  being  lost.  On  the  sunny  southern  slope  of 
Olivet  one  will  also  still  get  a  fine  impression  of  an 
orchard  of  figs,  standing  near  the  site,  perhaps,  of  the 
very  one  that  Jesus  looked  to  with  disappointment  when 
he  was  walking  from  Bethany  into  Jerusalem.  Bethany 
was  probably  named  for  its  orchards,  for  it  means  "  house 
of  dates."  The  town  has  no  history  apart  from  Jesus, 
and  nothing  unique  except  the  terraced  walls  that  sur- 
round it.  Lazarus'  tomb  is  pointed  out  in  the  middle  of 
the  village,  but  the  ancient  rock  tombs  are  further  east 
beside  the  road. 


NOTES  293 

Note  28.    The  Scenes  of  the  Jerusalem  Miracles 

The  miracles  in  Jerusalem  were  few,  and,  so  thorough 
has  been  the  destruction  of  the  city,  that  the  site  of  but 
one  is  now  known.  This  is  the  Pool  of  Siloam.  This  an- 
cient pool  is  south  of  the  city  in  the  Valley  of  the  Kedron 
and  fed  from  the  so-called  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  up  tho 
valley.  The  present  surrounding  wall  was  built  three 
centuries  ago  by  Sultan  Soliman,  but  there  is  little  change 
in  the  appearance  from  Jesus'  time  except  that  it  was 
once  less  neglected  and  the  water  was  more  fresh  and 
clean  than  now.  In  Nehemiah's  day  the  pool  was  well 
known,  for  it  was  being  repaired  then,  and  in  King 
David's  time  it  lay  in  the  midst  of  the  Royal  Garden,  just 
below  Solomon's  palace.  Across  the  valley  is  the  villaga 
of  Siloam,  where  Solomon  built  a  temple  of  idols  undei* 
the  caves  of  Mount  Moriah.  Only  a  few  rods  south  of  it 
is  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel,  where  Judas  is  said  to  have 
plotted,  and  at  its  foot  is  the  Potter's  Field,  bought  with 
the  price  of  his  treachery.  This  pool  is  lined  with  maiden- 
hair fern  and  blossoms.  Its  waters  flow  out,  and,  after 
having  been  used  by  the  city  washerwomen,  irrigate  the 
gardens  below,  where  once  were  the  pleasant  resting  places 
of  the  Hebrew  kings.  A  Christian  church  later  stood  over 
this  pool.  One  of  its  broken  pillars  can  still  be  seen  in 
the  water.  Women  still  come  with  water  pots  from 
Siloam  and  Jerusalem  and  use  its  befouled  water  for 
drinking  purposes.  There  is,  therefore,  as  in  the  blind 
man's  day,  always  some  curious  spectator  on  the  path  or 
climbing  down  the  steep  steps  into  the  pool.  How  vivid 
the  story  all  seems  even  now !  Dr.  Hurlbut  puts  it  this 
way: 

"  How  pitiful  he  must  have  looked,  staff  in  hand,  pick- 
ing his  path  through  the  streets  of  the  city !  '  Here,  blind 
man,  let  me  wipe  off  those  spatters  of  dirt ! '  '  No ;  leave 
them  alone,  the  Master  put  them  there,  and  I  am  going 
to  wash  them  off  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam.  Can  you  show 
me  the  way  ? '  That  was  his  cross,  his  confession  of 
Christ,  a  confession  that  every  one  must  make  in  some 


294  NOTES 

way,  if  he  would  be  saved.  Can  you  not  see  him  slowly 
walking  down  that  path,  tapping  with  his  staff  the  rocks 
on  either  side  as  he  goes?  Look  at  him  clambering  down 
those  steep  stone  steps !  Now  he  has  reached  the  Pool. 
See  him  dipping  up  the  water  with  his  hands  and  washing 
off  those  brown  earth  stains  from  his  face !  Now  he  looks 
up  with  a  startled,  amazed  expression.  A  light  flashes 
from  those  eyeballs,  no  longer  white  as  of  old.  The  man 
can  see !  How  strange  the  new  sense  of  sight  must  have 
seemed  to  him !  No  doubt,  from  force  of  habit  he  shut  his 
eyes,  over  and  over  again,  and  felt  his  way  along  the  path 
as  of  old." 

Note  29.     Blessing  Children  To-day 

It  is  a  common  sight  in  the  Holy  Land  now  to  see  a 
modern  Greek  teacher  of  Jesus'  gospel  giving  his  blessing 
to  a  group  of  children  in  the  very  village  where  Samuel 
was  a  child,  and  in  which  it  is  possible  that  Jesus  blessed 
the  baby  ancestors  of  these  little  ones  twenty  centuries 
ago.  We  do  not  look  for  aught  that  shall  remind  us  of 
the  Master  in  the  genial,  dark-skinned  ecclesiastic  with 
his  queer  clerical  cap  and  cloak  and  his  prayer  beads,  nor 
do  we  find  in  the  mothers'  faces  the  reverence  and  eager- 
ness with  which  the  mothers  of  old  brought  their  Httlq 
ones  to  Jesus.  But  it  has  always  been  true  in  Canaan, 
since  the  days  of  the  patriarchs,  and  even  until  now,  that 
the  blessing  of  a  good  father  or  teacher  has  been  felt  to 
have  prophetic  and  protecting  power.  If  Jesus  walked 
down  Ramah's  street,  mothers  dressed  probably  like  these 
of  the  present — for,  as  you  see,  each  village  seems  to  have 
and  retain  its  local  costume — came  to  greet  Him;  and 
children  are  always  the  same,  and  so  when  a  loving 
mother  lays  upon  the  wrist  of  her  squirming  child  an 
amulet,  while  other  stolid  babies  with  not  over-clean  faced 
sucking  their  thumbs  peep  in  interested  attitudes  around 
the  corner  while  the  priest  mumbles  his  benediction,  they 
may  remain  for  us  typical  of  the  children  of  Jesus'  day. 


NOTES  295 

Note  30.    Jerasalem  from  the  Mount  of  Olives 

Let  us  suppose  ourselves  standing  beside  Jesus  on  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  and  let  us  so  master  the  marvelous  scene 
before  us,  that  we  may  carry  with  us  through  life  an 
accurate  and  vivid  knowledge  of  the  place  where  those 
remarkable  events  in  the  last  days  of  Jesus'  life  occurred. 
Turn  to  your  Bible  Dictionary  map  of  Jerusalem  and 
locate  all  these  places.  Just  this  side  of  the  eastern  wall, 
but  just  beyond  our  vision  at  the  right,  is  the  probable 
site  of  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  and  the  utmost  reach  of  ojir 
vision  at  the  right  includes  the  Damascus  gate  on  the 
north  by  which  Jesus  entered  the  city  from  Nazareth. 
Calvary  is  at  its  north,  a  few  rods  away.  Some  distance 
down  the  valley  beyond  our  vision  limit  on  the  left  is  the 
Pool  of  Siloam.  Bethany  is  behind  us,  and  Bethlehem 
five  miles  to  the  southwest.  Below  us  is  the  modern  seven- 
domed  Russian  Church,  and  beyond  it,  far  down  at  the 
right,  Gethsemane.  Across  the  valley  and  under  the  city 
wall  you  see  innumerable  graves,  once  a  Mohammedan 
cemetery.  In  the  wall,  almost  in  the  middle  of  our  range 
of  vision  and  very  close  to  where  we  were  standing  when 
we  first  looked  from  the  eastern  wall  (see  Note  12),  is  an 
elevation  having  a  double  arch  under  it.  It  is  the  Golden 
Gate,  which  the  Turks  have  walled  up  because  they  be- 
lieve that  a  conqueror,  of  the  Christian  faith,  will  some 
time  enter  here  and  dispossess  them ! 

Through  this  gate  the  Mohammedans  also  believe  the 
good  will  pass  in  to  Paradise,  after  having  crossed  the 
Kedron  "  on  that  bridge  which  is  sharper  than  the  sharp- 
est sword." 

It  was  through  the  gate  at  this  spot,  you  remember, 
that  Jesus  often  passed  on  His  way  from  or  to  Bethany. 
The  portion  of  the  city  nearest  us  is  the  Mohammedan 
quarter  which  includes  the  Temple  site;  beyond  it  at  the 
right  in  the  Christian  quarter  is  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre.  The  Jewish  and  Armenian  quarters  are  at 
our  left,  and  beyond  the  Temple  area. 

The  large  enclosure  just  beyond  the  wall,  longer  from 


296  NOTES 

north  to  south,  is  the  place  of  the  Temple  enclosure,  and 
the  octagonal  building,  "  The  Dome  of  the  Rock  "  (wrong- 
ly called  the  Mosque  of  Omar),  stands  where  stood  the 
Temple.  On  that  plateau  Abraham  laid  Isaac  on  the 
altar;  that  was  Araunah's  threshing  floor  which  David 
bought  for  an  altar  place;  before  that  altar  Solomon 
stood,  and  Hezekiah  jDrayed,  and  Isaiah  beheld  his  glori- 
ous vision.  There  stood  the  second  Temple,  built  by  the 
returning  exiles.  There  Christ  came  as  a  boy  of  twelve 
to  question  with  the  doctors,  to  drive  out  the  money- 
changers, and  at  many  other  times.  Around  the  Dome 
you  see  fountains  and  praying  places.  The  Temple  en- 
closure on  the  south  was,  perhaps,  a  little  north  of  where 
we  see  it  now.  On  the  west  it  was  probably  bounded  by 
the  huge  stones  which  now  constitute  the  Jews'  Wailing 
Place.  In  the  extreme  right-hand  corner  of  the  enclosure 
stands  a  tower  on  the  site  of  the  Tower  of  Antonia,  where 
Paul  was  imprisoned  and  from  whose  staircase  he  ad- 
dressed the  throng.  Perhaps  that  is  where  Pontius  Pilate 
lodged  and  where  Jesus  was  brought  to  trial.  At  the  right 
of  the  Dome,  near  the  center  of  the  city,  are  the  white 
wall  and  dome  of  the  newly  restored  Church  of  St.  John, 
dedicated  by  the  German  Emperor  in  1898.  It  was  the 
site  of  the  headquarters  of  a  knightly  order  of  the  Crusa- 
ders. A  short  distance  to  the  right  of  the  church  is  the 
dome  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Away  to 
the  left  is  the  Tower  of  David,  the  lower  stones  of  the 
original  structure  being  still  in  place,  crowned  by  Maeca- 
bean,  Roman  and  modern  layers.  That  tower,  instead  of 
the  Tower  of  Antonia,  may  have  been  the  palace  of  the 
Roman  governor.  All  these  places  burst  at  once  upon 
the  vision  of  the  people  who  surrounded  Jesus  when  they 
came  out  on  this  ledge  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

Solomon's  own  house  and  the  royal  courts  once  filled  the 
space  south  of  the  wall  at  our  left.  Still  farther  south 
was  the  older  part  or  "  the  city  of  David,"  and  in  that 
region  stood  the  ark  in  its  Tent  of  Meeting  under  Da\dd, 
and  there  tradition  locates  David's  and  Solomon's  tombs. 


NOTES  297 

Solomon  extended  the  wall  around  Mount  Zion,  the  south- 
western hill,  the  Jewish  and  Armenian  quarters  of  to-day, 
and  there  the  increased  population  during  his  prosperity 
found  its  home.  Ever  since  then  the  city  has  tended  to 
grow  continually  north. 

It  was  down  to  our  left,  where  the  two  valleys  that 
bound  the  city,  Jehosaphat  or  Kedron  on  the  east,  and 
Hinnom  on  the  south,  meet,  that  David  caused  Solomon 
to  be  hailed  as  king,  and  up  this  valley  below  us  he  rode 
on  King  David's  mule  and  sat  down  on  David's  throne. 

It  was  of  this  historic  occasion  that  the  excited  people 
were  thinking  when  they  hailed  Jesus  as  "  the  Son  of 
David." 

From  where  we  stand  the  prevailing  color,  except  at 
sunset,  when  it  is  purple,  is  gray,  except  "  the  Dome  of 
the  Rock,"  which  is  of  a  faint  metallic  green.  The  walls 
are  gray  with  a  touch  of  orange.  The  houses  are  gray 
with  a  touch  of  blue.  Unwatered,  unshaded,  unhallowed, 
it  has  been  described  as  to-day  "  a  city  of  stone  in  a  laud 
of  iron  with  a  sky  of  brass." 

We  go  down  into  the  valley  now  to  study  in  a  cosmo- 
politan holy  feast  throng  of  to-day  the  varied  elements 
of  the  procession  that  followed  Jesus. 

Note  31.    Throngg  that  Come  up  to  Jerusalem  To-day 

The  Mohammedans  to-day  counteract  the  influence  of 
the  great  number  of  Christian  pilgrims  who  come  to 
Jerusalem  before  Easter  by  organizing  Moslem  pilgrim- 
ages to  the  reputed  tomb  of  Moses,  some  distance  from 
Jerusalem.  The  throngs  that  gather  to-day  among  the 
old  tombs  on  the  slope  outside  the  eastern  wall  of  Jerusa- 
lem, on  the  very  spot  where  the  Passover  throngs  met 
Jesus  on  his  way  into  the  city,  are  as  varied  and  cosmo- 
politan as  those  who  then  came  up  to  the  festival.  And 
their  appearance  is  much  the  same.  True,  here  and  there 
is  a  modern  umbrella,  carried  by  a  continental  tourist  or  a 
traveled  Muslim,  to  keep  off  the  hot  April  sun,  but  the 
flowing  robes,  the  turbans,  the  loaded  donkeys,  look  as 


298  NOTES 

they  did  two  thousand  years  ago.  Surely  the  women  with 
unveiled  faces  are  not  Mohammedans.  The  languages 
spoken  are  as  diverse  as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  Here 
an  old  sheikh,  who  looks  much  as  we  think  of  Abraham, 
sits  among  his  large  family.  There  a  woman  stands  erect 
— it  is  always  a  woman — under  a  burden  half  her  bulk, 
poised  upon  her  head.  Another  is  bringing  up  the  hill  a 
filled  water-pot  upon  her  shoulder.  Some  are  preparing 
lunch.  Some  are  trading,  some  gossipping.  All  are  wait- 
ing— for  what  ?  Probably  some  petty  detail  of  the  week's 
celebration.  But  as  we  walk  among  them,  the  centuries 
disappear  and  we  seem  to  be  with  those  who  wait  for 
Jesus  to  ride  down  yonder  hill  and  across  the  valley  and 
up  toward  the  Beautiful  Gate  of  the  temple. 

Note  32.    The  Mount  of  Olives  from  Jerusalem 

Not  only  is  Jerusalem  magnificently  seen  from  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  but  the  entire  western  slope  of  that 
mount  is  also  clearly  seen  when  one  looks  east  from  almost 
any  elevated  spot  in  the  Holy  City. 

Let  us  fancy  ourselves  clear  across  on  the  western  side 
of  the  town.  Even  from  there  we  can  see  the  path  down 
which  Jesus  rode,  and  we  can  also  look  into  the  heart  of 
the  city  of  to-day  which  stands  on  the  ruins  of  the 
recreant  Jerusalem  of  old. 

We  are  standing,  let  us  say,  on  the  flat  roof  of  a  large 
building,  a  hospice  for  religious  pilgrims.  It  gives  us  an 
excellent  view  down  into  the  ancient  city  itself.  As  we  are 
in  the  Christian  quarter,  the  nearer  roofs  are  tiled  and 
rather  pointed,  and  not  those  flat  surfaces  which  we  saw 
in  other  places  and  which  were  universal  here  in  Jesus' 
day.  But  the  stairways  to  the  roofs  and  the  upper  rooms 
remind  us  that  somewhere  near  by — tradition  says  to  our 
right  (south)  half  a  mile,  in  what  is  now  called  the 
Coenaculimi,  or  David's  Tomb, — the  disciples  were  prepar- 
ing twenty  centuries  ago  to  eat  the  Passover  with  Jesus. 

The  blind  house  walls  are  so  massively  laid  that  in 
pacing  the  more  solitary  streets  you  seem  to  be  threading 


NOTES  299 

the  mazes  of  a  huge  fortress.  The  streets  are  never 
straight  for  fifty  rods.  Though  narrow  and  overhung  by 
the  houses  and  by  many  archways,  the  brilliantly  draped 
Orientals  coming  out  into  the  sun  from  the  dark  door- 
ways make  a  constant  surprise  of  color. 

You  discover,  of  course,  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre, the  large  dome  in  front  of  us  and  to  the  left,  built 
on  the  site  which  Constantine  believed  to  be  that  of  the 
tomb  of  Jesus;  and  the  modern  Church  of  St.  John,  off 
to  the  right,  where  it  was  believed  St.  John  lived,  to  which 
place  he  took  Mary  after  the  crucifixion  and  where  were 
the  headquarters  of  the  Knights  of  St.  John  in  the  Cru- 
sades. In  the  distance,  beyond  "  the  Dome  of  the  Rock," 
we  can  see  the  three  paths  that  climb  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
Over  the  left  one  of  these  did  David  go  when  he  went  over 
the  brook  Kedron  in  flight  from  Absalom,  and  down  a 
path  farther  to  the  right  his  greater  Son  rode  on  Monday 
of  Passion  Week.  Over  which  of  these  roads  did  Jesus 
go  most  often  those  nights  of  the  week  when  He  went  to 
Bethany  to  catch  a  brief  rest  with  His  best  friends  in  His 
foster-home?  And  where  on  this  mount,  do  you  suppose, 
was  delivered  His  mystic  discourse  about  the  last  things? 

Imagine  this  mountain  crowded  with  camping  pilgrims, 
the  cavalcade  of  Jesus,  coming  around  onto  yonder  ledge 
of  rock  and  thence  descending  the  hill,  and  you  get  some 
idea  of  the  excitement  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the 
other  when  he  rode  in  from  Bethany  on  Sunday  of  Pas- 
sion Week.  It  did  seem  for  an  hour  that  the  world  had 
gone  after  him. 

Note  33.    Gethsemane 

We  have  already  located  the  little  walled  enclosure  of 
Gethsemane  in  the  Kedron  valley  just  east  of  the  gate  in 
the  eastern  wall. 

You  know  just  where  you  are,  for  you  can  see  the 
Golden  Gate  and  the  long  stone  ramparts  just  across  the 
Kedron,  and  you  are  probably  looking  at  the  spot  where 
the  ancient  pathways  entered  the  city  and  the  Temple  at 


300  NOTES 

its  Beautiful  Gate.  Just  where  we  stand  at  the  eastern 
side  is  said  to  be  the  spot  where  Judas  betrayed  his  Master 
with  a  kiss. 

This  enclosure,  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  by  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  feet,  is  just  over  the  bridge  that  crosses 
Kedron  and  at  the  crossing  of  the  roads  that  lead  up  to 
Olivet.  We  have  looked  down  upon  it  before,  and  know 
that  in  addition  to  its  eight  gnarled  and  hoary  olives, 
which  date  back  to  the  seventh  century,  it  contains  some 
mournful  cypresses.  Apparently,  the  garden  once  ex- 
tended much  farther  up  the  valley,  since  it  would  seem 
that  Jesus  would  have  sought  a  more  secluded  spot  for 
prayer;  we  are  in  its  nearer  and  lower  corner.  The 
Romans  are  known  to  have  cut  down  all  the  trees  when 
they  besieged  the  city,  using  many,  perhaps  some  of  the 
olives  of  Gethsemane  for  crosses  for  the  stubborn  Jews, 
but  these  are  probably  direct  descendants  and  by  only  one 
remove  from  those  which  gave  the  garden  the  name  of 
''  Olive  press."  This  enclosure  is  now  tenderly  eared  for 
by  the  Latin  Church  and  Franciscan  friars,  who,  as  you 
can  see,  cover  every  foot  with  flourishing  blossoms  and 
shrubs. 

Note  34.    "The  New  Calvary" 

Recent  Christian  scholarship  has  turned  somewhat  from 
the  site  of  the  old  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  to  some 
spot  outside  the  city  as  the  true  place  of  the  crucifixion. 
It  is  indeed  startling  to  stand  upon  the  housetop  of  an 
inn,  that  touches  the  edge  of  Jerusalem's  northern  wall, 
and  find  ourselves  face  to  face  with  the  bare,  skull-like 
mound  which  has  come  of  recent  years  to  be  accepted  by 
the  growing  number  of  Christians  as  the  true  site  of  the 
crucifixion  and  burial  of  Jesus.  The  resemblance  of  the 
hill  to  a  human  skull  is  the  most  picturesque,  though  not 
the  most  convincing  reason,  for  calling  this  Golgotha, 
"  the  place  of  the  skull."  But  it  may  have  been  its  use  as 
a  burial  place  rather  than  its  shape  that  gave  it  its  name. 
There  are  graves  upon  its  summit,  and  the  large  opening 
at  the  right  marks  the  so-called  Tomb  of  Jeremiah.    The 


NOTES  301 

Jewish  law  (Lev.  1:10,  11)  did  name  the  place  of  execu- 
tion as  "  northward."  The  early  Jewish  writings  tell  us 
that  this  hill  had  long  been  a  place  for  the  execution  of 
criminals,  and  received  the  name  "  Place  of  Stoning." 
A  reputable  Christian  guide  told  Dr.  Hurlbut  that  the 
place  has  long  been  especially  hateful  to  the  Jews  of  the 
city,  who  always  utter  a  curse  when  they  pass  it,  though 
they  know  not  why,  and  that  their  words  translated  are, 
"  Cursed  be  the  man  who  ruined  our  nation  by  calling 
Himself  King."  This  place  is  also,  as  we  know  Calvary 
was  once,  a  garden  outside  the  city  and  beside  a  public 
way,  the  Damascus  road.  Beside  that  road,  beyond  the 
hill  on  the  left,  sleeps  the  Queen  Helena,  the  mother  of 
Constantine,  who  believed  that  she  discovered  in  Jeru- 
salem the  true  cross  and  our  Lord's  sepulcher.  Whether  it 
be  the  veritable  Golgotha  or  not,  it  certainly  does  give  to 
the  eye  a  reality  of  conception  of  the  scenes  of  the  Pas- 
sion, for  which  one  is  grateful  in  a  land  where  so  many 
sacred  spots  have  been  concealed  by  obscuring  shrines 
and  buildings. 

At  the  end  of  an  enclosed  garden  at  the  bottom  of  the 
cliff  is  a  small  entrance  to  a  tomb,  hollowed  out  of  the 
rock,  which  has  been  believed  by  General  Charles  Gordon 
and  many  others  to  be  the  very  tomb  in  Joseph's  garden 
in  which  the  body  of  Jesus  was  laid. 

Note  35.    The  So-called    "Tomb    of  Our    Lord"    at 
"The  New  Calvary" 

Only  one  burial  place  was  ever  completed  here,  altho 
two  others  were  left  unfinished,  and  there  is  room  for 
the  forms  of  two  angels,  "  one  at  the  head  and  the  other 
at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain." 

Standing  here  within  a  few  rods  of  the  place  where 
Jesus  was  crucified,  and  looking  into  such  a  new-made 
tomb  as  that  in  which  Joseph  laid  Jesus,  if  not  the  very 
one,  can  we  realize  the  feelings  of  Mary  and  the  women, 
of  John  and  Peter,  as  they  came  hastily  through  the 
garden  that  Easter  dawn  and  wondered  at  the  unsealed 


302  NOTES 

and  open  tomb  and  then  turned  in  grief  and  went  away, 
to  find,  each  in  his  own  time,  the  risen  Lord  ? 

A  little  northwest  of  this  spot  is  a  vast  system  of 
sepulchral  caves  which  were  used  as  tombs.  Here  at  the 
opening  of  one  of  them  may  be  still  seen  a  great  round 
flat  stone  and  the  groove  below  in  which  it  has  been  roUed 
when  the  sepulcher  was  closed.  The  stone  must  be  very 
heavy.  When  it  rolls  forward,  too,  it  goes  down  an  in- 
cline and  drops  into  a  niche.  To  roll  it  in  its  channel,  and 
especially  to  roll  it  away  from  the  tomb  entrance,  would 
require  the  strength  of  two  men,  and  would  be  far  beyond 
the  power  of  women  like  those  who  came  to  the  entrance 
of  Jesus'  tomb.  Moreover,  when  shut,  the  tomb  could  be 
easily  sealed,  as  we  know  our  Lord's  tomb  was  sealed  when 
the  watch  was  set. 

Note  36.    Where  Did  Jesus  Meet  the  Disciples  by  the 
Lake? 

It  has  been  customary  to  suppose  that  Jesus  met  his 
friends  at  the  retired  place  on  the  northeast  shore,  where 
he  withdrew  with  them  when  he  fed  the  five  thousand. 

Just  here  in  this  quiet  cove  is  the  spot  pointed  ouli 
where  the  seven  disciples  had  been  all  night  fishing,  and 
where  Jesus  met  them  and  welcomed  them  with  the  break- 
fast which  He  had  caught  and  cooked  with  His  own 
hands.  From  this  shore,  as  we  saw  from  a  preceding 
standpoint  (see  Note  23),  you  can  see,  through  the  cleft 
hills  at  the  west,  the  Movmt  of  Beatitudes;  and  where  else 
should  be  the  "mountain  in  Galilee  where  the  Lord  had 
appointed  them,"  upon  which  He  should  speak  their 
world-wide  commission,  but  this  one  where  He  had  first 
proclaimed  the  laws  of  His  kingdom  and  from  which  He 
could  see  almost  all  the  scenes  of  His  ministry !  Thus  the 
ministry,  which  began  in  Galilean  homes  in  Nazareth  and 
Capernaum  by  this  lake,  and  wandered  at  times  to  Judea, 
Samaria,  Tyre,  Decapolis  and  Caesarea  Philippi  and 
which  culminated  at  Jerusalem,  completed  its  circuit  by 
this  last  return  to  the  lake  in  Galilee,  which  had  been  its 
center  all  these  years. 


THE   LEADING    EVENTS   IN   THE 

LIFE   OF  JESUS   THE    KING 

WITH  APPROXIMATE 

DATES 


THE  LEADING  EVENTS  IN  THE  LIFE 

OF   JESUS   THE   KING  WITH 

APPROXIMATE  DATES 

After  Stevens  and  Burton 

THE  BOY  SOLDIER ;  in  his  Home 

Jesus  was  born  in  Bethlehem — Christmas,  B.  C.  5. 
He  was  exiled  to  Egypt — Late  winter,  B.  C.  4. 
He  came  to  Nazareth  to  live — Sometime  between 
B.  C.  2  and  A.  D.  4. 

He  visited  his  Capital — April,  A.  D.  7. 

THE  OPENING  CAMPAIGN: 

He  was  consecrated  in  the  River  Jordan — Summer 
of  A.  D.  26. 

He  fought  the  Battle  of  the  Wilderness,  with  his 
great  Adversary — immediately  afterward. 

He  chose  his  first  recruits. 

He  cleansed  his  Capital — April,  A.  D.  27. 

He  helped  John,  his  ally  in  Judea  and  Samaria, 
April  to  December,  A.  D.  27. 

THE  CAMPAIGN  IN  GALILEE :  With  the  People 

He  lived  among  his  People  at  Capernaum,  Decem- 
ber, A.  D.  27,  to  the  Summer,  A.  D.  28. 

He  chose  his  Generals  and  issued  the  Great  Procla- 
mation to  his  People — Early  summer,  A.  D.  28. 

He  gave  a  Supper  to  his  People  by  the  Lake  and 
refused  an  earthly  crown,  March,  A.  D.  29. 

He  retreated  into  Phoenicia  and  northern  Galilee, 
April  to  September,  A.  D,  29. 

He  was  seen  in  his  real  Glory  on  Mount  Hermon — • 
Autumn,  A.  D.  29. 


306  LEADING  EVENTS 

THE  CAMPAIGN   IN  PEREA :  With  his  Generals 
He  trained  his  Generals  to  extend  his  Kingdom 
—November,  A.  D.  29,  to  April,  A.  D.  30. 

THE  CAMPAIGN  IN  JERUSALEM  : 

With  his  Enemies 

The  King  entered  his  Capital  in  trimnph,  April  2, 
A.  D.  30. 

He  was  rejected  by  his  Enemies  and  betrayed  by 
one  of  his  Generals,  Api'il  6,  A.  D.  30. 

He  conquered  the  last  Enemy,  April  7,  A.  D.  30. 

His  Kiiis<lom  began  its  eternal  victory. 


INDEX 


INDEX 

Abraham,  34,  41,  61,  89,  284. 

Andrew,  75,  115,  136,  155. 

Annas,  see  Hanan, 

Annunciation,  The,  54. 

Anointing  of  Jesus  by  a  sinner,  125;  by  Mary  of  Beth- 
any, 195. 

Apostles,  The,  112 ;  called,  113, 118 ;  sent  out,  120 ;  speak, 
135;  oppose  Jesus,  138;  speak,  154;  misunderstand 
Jesus,  155,  164,  200,  222,  223;  mentioned,  177,  190, 
195,  205;  commended,  216;  promise  loyalty,  225; 
saved  by  Jesus,  235;  forsake  Jesus,  237;  gather  after 
the  resurrection,  259;  go  forth  as  missionaries,  262. 

Baptism,  63,  64,  67,  278,  280. 

Bar  Abbas,  248,  249. 

Barak,  24,  287. 

Beatitudes,  The,  117,  121,  138,  259. 

Beatitudes,  Mount  of,  113,  116 ;  described,  286. 

Bethany,  186,  187,  195,  200,  217,  281,  292,  293. 

Bethlehem,  28,  54,  170;  described,  268. 

Bethsaida,  Day  at,  133;  Jesiis  after  the  resurrection  at, 

259,  302. 
Boats,  52, 100, 102,  133, 134,  282. 
Boy,  at  Bethsaida,  136;  at  Capernaum,  146;  at  Caesarea, 

160 ;  blessed  by  Jesus,  179. 
Boys  in  the  temple,  208. 
Bread  of  Life,  141. 
Brothers  of  Jesus,  19,  57,  97, 142, 169, 187,  200. 

Caesar,  Julius,  172. 
Caesarea  Philippi,  153,  286. 
Caiaphas,  154, 172,  210,  217,  237,  242. 


310  INDEX 

Calvary,  see  Golgotha. 

Camping  out,  38,  68,  78,  119,  121. 

Cana,  80,  119. 

Capernaum,  59;  described,  83,  100,  111;  home  of  Jesus, 

99,  104;  mentioned,  98,  140,  146,  149,  153,  187,  287. 
Carmel,  Mount,  22,  38. 
Carpenter  work,  52,  53,  54,  57,  156, 167,226. 
Centurion,  of  Capernaum,  140,  146,  147;  at  Jerusalem', 

171;  at  the  Cross,  255. 
Children  blessed  by  Jesus,  179,  294. 
Christ,  see  Jesus. 

Cleansing  of  the  Temple,  84,  208. 
Clothing  described,  17,  18,  61, 158,  201,  254. 
Coins,  17,  84,  212,  214,  219,  272. 
Crucifixion,  The,  251. 
Cross  used  at  Passover,  46;  mentioned  by  Jesus,  157; 

borne  by  Jesus,  251. 

Damascus,  148. 

Dates  in  Jesus'  life,  305,  306. 

David,  25,  34,  56,  170;  Jesus'  ancestor,  27,  56;  Jesus 

hailed  as  successor  of,  208. 
Dead  Sea,  The,  59,  71,  279. 
Deborah,  24. 
Decapolis,  104,  149,  259. 
Desert,  The,  61,  68,  69,  278. 
Disciples,  The,  of  Jesus,  112;  see  Apostles. 
Disciples,  The,  of  John,  59,  63,  74,  124,  126,  131,  132. 
"  Dome  of  the  Rock,  The,"  Jerusalem,  276,  277,  296,  297, 

299. 

Elijah,  22,  24,  100,  154,  278,  280;  at  the  Transfiguration, 

159. 
Elisha,  38,  159,  280. 
Esdraelon,  Plain  of,  22,  37,  121,  274;  described,  273. 

Farmers  mentioned,  37. 

Feasts,  see  Temple,  Passover,  Harvest,  297. 

Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand,  135,  289. 


INDEX  311 

Fishers  of  Capernaum,  59,  74,  111,  118,  143,  144. 

Fishing,  52,  259,  282,  288,  289,  302. 

Flowers,  37,  133. 

Food  described,  53,  136,  260. 

Fountain  at  Nazareth,  17,  272. 

Funeral,  a  game,  20. 

Furniture  described,  53,  179. 

Galilee,  95,  275,  282;  Jesus'  ministry  in,  described,  102; 
rejects  Jesus,  141;  mentioned,  150,  172,  204,  244. 

Galilee,  Lake  of,  described,  83,  133,  139,  282,  288,  302; 
storms  upon,  102,  139 ;  Jesus  beside,  after  the  resurrec- 
tion, 259. 

Games,  17. 

Gerizim,  Mount,  40,  92,  284. 

Gethsemane,  232,  281;  described,  299,  300. 

Gideon,  22. 

Gilboa,  Mount,  23,  26,  38. 

Gilead,  22. 

Golgotha,  251,  300. 

Good  Samaritan,  Parable  of  the,  291,  292. 

Gospels,  of  Matthew,  109,  262;  Mark,  12;  John,  262. 

Greeks,  37,  148,  207. 

Hanan,  171,  217,  227,  236. 
Harvest  feast,  188. 
Heber,  24. 

Hermon,  Mount,  21,  153,  290,  291. 
Herod  Antipas,  123,  135,  169,  244. 
Herod  the  Great,  280. 
Herod  Philip,  153,  154,  282. 
Herodians,  211. 
Herodias,  123. 

Heroism  of  Jesus,  see  Jesus,  Heroism  of. 
Holidays,  17,  33,  52;  see  Feasts. 
Holy  Land,  274;  see  also  map  opposite  267. 
Houses  described,  19,  29,  53, 104, 179,  180,  269,  272,  285, 
286. 


312  INDEX 

Isaiah  quoted,  27,  73,  97. 

Jacob,  40. 

Jacob's  Well,  41,  89 ;  described,  283. 

Jairus'  daughter  healed,  109. 

James,  mentioned  with  John. 

Jehu,  23. 

Jericho,  279. 

Jerusalem,  journey  to  described,  36,  203;  city  described, 
42,  276,  293,  295,  298;  mentioned,  151,  165,  169,  170, 
199;  Jesus'  entry  into,  200;  aroused  at  the  death  of 
Jesus,  252;  its  destruction  prophesied,  215. 

Jesus  Christ,  annunciation  of,  54;  birth  of,  54;  name  of, 
19 ;  at  play,  17 ;  at  school,  31 ;  going  fii-st  to  Jerusalem, 
36,  44 ;  the  carpenter,  51 ;  baptism  of,  61 ;  temptation 
of,  66 ;  called  the  Lamb  of  God,  64,  76 ;  calling  his  first 
friends,  74 ;  at  the  wedding  at  Cana,  80 ;  first  cleansing 
of  the  temple,  85;  talks  with  Nicodemus,  88;  ministers 
in  Judea,  89,  95;  in  Samaria,  89;  in  Galilee,  95;  first 
rejected  at  Nazareth,  96;  at  Cana,  119;  removal  of 
home  to  Capernaiuu,  99 ;  calls  four  disciples,  100 ;  tours 
Galilee,  101,  119;  a  day  of  miracles,  101;  chooses  the 
Twelve,  113;  gives  the  Beatitudes,  116;  heals  a  leper, 
118 ;  sends  out  the  Twelve,  119 ;  at  the  Pharisee's  dinner 
is  anointed,  125;  sends  message  to  John,  127;  feeds 
the  five  thousand,  136;  is  rejected  in  Galilee,  141;  goes 
to  Phenicia,  143;  to  Decapolis,  149;  to  Caesarea,  153; 
calls  forth  a  confession  from  Peter,  155;  is  transfig- 
ured, 158;  moves  toward  Jerusalem,  162;  sends  out  the 
Seventy,  166;  goes  to  the  harvest  feast  at  Jerusalem, 
169;  lodging  at  Bethany,  187;  teaches  the  Lord's 
Praj^er,  190;  teaches  in  the  temple,  172;  is  driven 
from  the  city,  177;  blesses  children,  179;  raises  Laza- 
rus, 194;  teaches  the  Twelve  in  places  aj^art,  177, 
178;  is  anointed  at  Bethany,  196;  enters  Jerusalem  in 
trimnph,  199;  receives  the  Greeks,  207;  the  boys,  208; 
his  enemies,  209;  watches  the  widow's  gift,  214; 
prophesies  the  end  of  Jerusalem,  215;  celebrates  the 


INDEX  313 

Passover,  217;  institutes  the  Lord's  Supper,  228; 
prays  in  Gethsemane,  232;  is  betrayed  and  arrested, 
235,  236 ;  is  tried  before  Caiaphas,  237 ;  the  Sanhedrin, 
238;  Pilate,  242;  Herod,  245;  Pilate,  246;  is  crucified, 
251 ;  rises  from  the  dead,  258 ;  appears  in  Galilee,  259 ; 
is  alive  forevermore,  263. 

Jesus,  Character  of:  ruggedness,  77;  kin'^liness,  54; 
charm,  18,  29,  81,  101,  122;  industry,  54;  fidelity,  52, 
55,  73,  156,  233;  courage,  see  Heroism;  helpfulness, 
94,  111;  intellectual  ability,  208;  interest  in  history, 
21,  34,  39;  interest  in  books,  34;  interest  in  man,  90, 
168 ;  patriotism,  55,  137,  148,  203 ;  wide  sympathy,  118, 
126,  132,  134,  137,  146,  147,  161,  162,  182,  214;  love, 
112,  132,  162,  182,  186;  magnanimity,  253,  254;  in- 
terest in  worship,  43,  44,  84;  love  of  God,  28,  49. 

Jesus,  Heroism  of,  Instances :  in  daily  fidelity,  57 ;  at  the 
temptations,  66;  in  self-effacement  at  Cana,  81;  in 
cleansing  the  temple,  86;  in  chivalry  to  sinners,  91;  in 
facing  foes  at  Nazareth,  99;  in  the  storm,  102;  before 
a  maniac,  103;  in  refusing  an  earthly  crown,  138;  in 
facing  death,  152,  164,  215 ;  in  facing  his  foes  at  Jeni- 
salem,  169, 175, 177,  192,  207 ;  in  riding  into  Jerusalem, 
204;  in  rebuking  the  leaders,  213;  in  singing  at  the 
Kedron,  230 ;  in  the  Garden,  233 ;  in  speaking  the  truth 
at  the  cost  of  his  life,  238;  at  his  death,  253. 

Jezebel,  22,  28. 

Jezreel,  see  Esdraelon. 

John  the  Baptist,  announced,  58 ;  described,  61 ;  preaches 
62,  63 ;  baptizes  Jesus,  64 ;  his  relations  with  Jesus,  66 
67,  127,  132;  tempted,  74,  123,  128;  his  limitations,  78 
127;  sees  Jesus  for  the  last  time,  83;  imprisoned, 
123;  sends  inquiries  to  Jesus,  124;  receives  reply  from 
Jesus,  127;  estimate  of  by  Jesus,  127;  murdered,  128 
mentioned,  154,  210,  278. 

John  the  Evangelist,  described,  75;  comes  to  Jesus,  76 
has  a  home  in  Jerusalem,  88;  mentioned,  87,  93,  110, 
118,  119,  155,  157,  193,  219;  called,  115;  seeks  vif«- 


314  INDEX 

royalty,  163,  164,  212 ;  angry,  166 ;  at  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, 223;  at  the  trial  of  Jesus,  237;  at  the  cross,  254; 
adopts  Jesus'  mother,  257;  with  Jesus  after  the  resur- 
rection, 260;  tells  Jesus'  life,  262;  on  Patmos,  75. 

John  Mark,  see  Mark. 

Jonathan,  26. 

Joppa,  267,  268. 

Jordan,  The,  22,  59,  71,  89,  177,  184,  278,  280. 

Joseph  of  Arimathea,  256. 

Joseph  the  Prince,  39,  40,  98,  141. 

Joseph  of  Nazareth,  19,  33,  40,  46 ;  death  of,  52. 

Joshua  the  Leader  of  Israel,  19,  40,  159,  284. 

Josiah,  23. 

Journeys  of  Jesus,  275. 

Judas  Iscariot,  114,  115,  120,  138,  142,  197;  betrays 
Jesus,  205,  217,  227,  234;  remorse  of,  240;  suicide  of, 
241. 

Judea  described,  41 ;  Jesus  in,  95 ;  mentioned,  150,  283. 

Kedron,  70,  230,  281,  297. 

Kingdom  of  God,  expected,  28;  announced,  61,  105;  its 
character,  70,  72,  81,  94,  117,  132,  135,  138,  163,  204, 
209;  accepted  and  reigned  over  by  Jesus,  55,  69,  167, 
263;  worldwide,  148,  215. 

Kishon  River,  24,  37. 

Lamb  of  God,  The,  64,  76. 

Law,  see  Teachers,  and  Old  Testament. 

Lazarus,  188,  199. 

Lebanon,  148. 

Leper  healed,  116. 

Lepers  described,  284. 

Lord's  Prayer,  The,  given,  190. 

Lord's  Supper,  The,  instituted,  228. 

Magi,  The,  55. 

Maniac  restored,  103 ;  becomes  a  missionary,  104,  259. 

Mark,  12,  220,  221,  230,  232. 


INDEX  315 

Martha,  189,  219. 

Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  19,  29,  33,  34,  65;  teaches 
Jesus,  34;  finds  Jesus  in  the  temple,  49,  50;  her  daily 
life,  53 ;  tells  Jesus  of  his  future,  54,  55 ;  attends  wed- 
ding at  Cana,  81 ;  removes  her  home  to  Capernaum,  82 ; 
mentioned,  97,  142,  200,  252,  254;  at  the  cross,  254; 
goes  to  live  with  John,  257. 

Mary  the  mother  of  Jude  and  James,  120,  252. 

Mary  Magdalene,  120,  252. 

Mary  of  Bethany,  189. 

Matthew,  101, 108, 120,  155,  262. 

Messiah,  The,  promised,  28;  Jesus  thinks  of  himself  as, 
65;  Jesus  acknowledged  as,  by  Peter,  155;  also  72,  75, 
155. 

Moab,  64,  123,  177. 

Moses,  referred  to,  34,  46,  141,  154  j  at  the  Transfigura- 
tion, 159. 

Mothers,  34,  183. 

Nain,  119,  287. 

Napoleon,  172. 

Nathaniel,  88,  155. 

Nazareth  described,  17,  21,  34,  54,  270;  rejects  Jesus,  95. 

Nicodemus,  47,  83,  172,  237,  256. 

Old  Testament,  studied  by  Jesus,  32,  51;  mentioned,  150, 

177. 
Olives,  Mount  of,  9,  59,  295,  298. 

Palace  at  Jericho,  71;  at  Tiberias,  83;  at  Caesarea  Phil- 

ippi,  21 ;  at  Jerusalem,  236,  240. 
Palestine,  see  Holy  Land. 
Parables,  174,  291,  292. 
Paralytic  cured,  105. 
Passover  described,  36,  44,  221,  222;  attended  by  Jesus, 

36,  44,  83,  200,  227;  mentioned,  134,  137, 142,  195,  196, 

200. 
Peter,  described,  77;  comes  to  Jesus,  77;  speaks,  93,  141, 

145,  160,  163,  182,  229;   Jesus  uses  his  boat,  100; 


316  INDEX 

V 

gives  himself  to  Jesus,  101;  mentioned,  12,  110, 
118,  119,  155,  157,  183,  219,  222;  called,  114;  opposes 
Jesus,  138;  confesses  the  Messiah,  155;  opposes  Jesus, 
156;  at  the  Lord's  Supper,  223;  defends  Jesus,  234; 
at  the  trial  of  Jesus,  236 ;  denies  Jesus,  239 ;  penitence 
of,  257;  with  Jesus  after  the  resurrection,  260,  261; 
his  vision  at  Joppa,  268. 

Perea,  166,  177,  184,  190. 

Pets,  19,  30. 

Pharisees  described,  124;  Simon  one  of  the,  125;  oppose 
Jesus,  150,  169,  209,  236;  mentioned,  175;  condemned 
by  Jesus,  213. 

Phenicia,  142,  290. 

Philip,  135. 

Pilate,  242,  256. 

"  Pinnacle  of  the  Temple,  The,"  70,  200,  281. 

Playmates  of  Jesus,  17,  31,  36,  55,  59,  95,  99. 

Priests,  44,  45,  84,  169,  173,  199,  210. 

Prophets  deferred  to,  27,  28,  33,  56,  62. 

Proverbs  of  the  Jews,  34,  35. 

Psahns,  33,  42, 198,  203,  230,  231,  254. 

Resurrection,  The,  259. 
Rich  young  man,  162. 
Roman  empire,  The,  56,  176. 
Roofs,  106,  107,  286. 

Sabbath,  The,  151,  257. 

Saddueees,  151. 

Sailors,  143, 144. 

Salome,  traditional  name  of  Jesus'  sister,  33. 

Salome,  mother  of  John  and  James,  120,  164,  252. 

Salome,  daughter  of  Herodias,  129. 

Samaria  described,  39,  40;  Jesus  in,  39,  89,  166,  190; 
mentioned,  120,  150;  visited  by  the  Seventy,  166;  re- 
jects Jesus,  166. 

Samuel,  41. 

Sanhedrin,  The,  171,  210,  236,  238,  241. 


INDEX  317 

Saul,  25,  41. 

Schools  described,  31. 

Scriptures,  see  Old  Testament. 

Sermon  on  the  Mount,  115. 

Seventy,  The,  166,  167. 

Shepherds,  37,  55,  273. 

Sidon,  143. 

Siloam,  Pool  of,  293. 

Simon  the  Leper,  195. 

Simon,  see  Peter. 

Simon  the  Pharisee,  125,  126. 

Simon  the  Zealot,  120. 

Singing,  25,  26,  34, 198,  200,  230. 

Sisera,  23,  287. 

Sisters  of  Jesus,  19,  33,  97. 

Socrates,  252,  253. 

Soldiers,  255;  see  also  Centurion. 

Superscription  on  Jesus'  cross,  251. 

Swords,  221,  225,  234. 

Synagogues  described,  31,  96,  97. 

Syro-Phenician  woman,  145. 

Tabernacles,  160;  see  Harvest. 

Tabor,  Mount,  24,  287. 

Teachers  of  the  law,  20,  47,  87,  150. 

Temple  described,  42,  44,  47,  203;  cleansed,  84,  208, 173; 
Feast  of  Rededieation  of,  176;  Jesus  preaches  in,  173, 
177,  208;  Jesus  leaves,  213;  veil  rent,  256. 

Temple  site,  see  "  Dome  of  the  Rock." 

Temptations  of  Jesus,  68,  140,  158,  281. 

Temptations  of  John  the  Baptist,  74,  123,  128. 

Thieves  on  the  Cross,  254. 

Thomas,  120,  155,  192. 

Tiberias,  282,  288. 

Tomb  of  Jesus,  257,  301,  302. 

Transfiguration,  The,  159,  291. 

Twelve,  The,  see  Apostles. 

Tyre,  143,  147,  290. 


318  INDEX 

Unleavened  bread,  45. 

Veil  of  the  Temple,  45;  rent,  256. 
Voice  of  God,  The,  50,  152,  161. 

Water  jars,  mentioned,  18,  90,  93,  220,  223. 

Water  of  Life,  91,  141. 

Wedding,  a  game,  19 ;  at  Cana,  80,  283  j  parable  of,  174. 

Widow,  214. 

Womanhood,  168,  252. 

Zaochaeus,  280. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS 


PUBLISHER'S  NOTE 

Dr.  Forbush's  book,  first  published  in  1906,  has 
secured  for  itself  an  important  place  in  juvenile  litera- 
ture; it  covers  its  field  as  does  no  other  volume.  Inas- 
much as  it  has  already  come  into  use  as  a  text  book.  Dr. 
Forbush  has  been  asked  to  equip  it  with  the  following 
material  for  questions  and  study,  in  order  that  it  may 
better  secure  that  enlarged  use  which  its  popularity  has 
already  promised  for  it. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS 

The  twenty-five  chapters  of  this  book  fit  excellently 
well  into  either  a  six  months'  or  a  j^ear's  course  of  study. 
In  a  six-months'  covirse  there  will  be  just  one  chapter  for 
each  week.  In  a  year's  course  the  book  will  be  alternated 
or  used  with  other  teaching  material  and  illustrative  or 
manual  methods  as  suggested  below.  No  attempt  has 
been  made  to  fit  the  chapters  or  these  notes  to  any  given 
year  in  the  International  or  any  other  lesson  system.  In 
a  one-year's  course  the  book  will  perhaps  better  supple- 
ment the  regular  lessons  used  in  the  school.  It  takes 
only  from  four  to  seventeen  minutes  to  read  any  chapter 
aloud  in  the  class.  In  a  six-months'  course  this  text- 
book will  move  exactly  parallel  with  any  other  study 
course  that  is  being  used  in  the  school. 

The  book  is  not  to  be  used  as  a  substitute  for  the 
Gospels.  The  experienced  teacher  knows,  however,  that 
the  best  way  to  honor  the  Bible  is  not  to  have  long  pass- 
ages from  it  read  aloud  in  the  class.  These  question 
hints  turn  the  scholar  from  the  fresh  and  suggestive  in- 
formation contained  in  this  book  to  search  eagerly  the 
Bible  for  verification,  and  thus  they  illiuninate  the  Gos- 
pels. It  would  be  well  if  each  scholar  could  own  a  copy 
of  this  textbook,  which  he  will  learn  to  treasure  after  he 
has  studied  it ;  but  lessons  can  be  taught  successfully  with 
a  single  copy. 

In  addition  to  the  Bible  and  this  book,  the  only  appa- 
ratus needed  is  an  ordinary  stiff-covered  five-cent  note- 
book and  a  pencil  for  each  member  of  the  class.  The 
portfolios  of  Palestine  views,  as  already  published  by  the 
Sunday  School  Times  Co.,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Pil- 
grim Press,  of  Boston,  giving  thirteen  for  each  quarter, 
to  accompany  the  current  International  lessons  on  the 
life  of  Christ,  are  a  helpful  and  inexpensive  (10  cents  a 


iv  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

quarter)  accompaniment  to  the  notes  on  pp.  267-302. 
•The  Underwood  Stereographs  which  were  prepared  to 
fit  these  notes,  are  still  better,  but  more  expensive. 

Those  who  wish  to  use  the  varied  manual  methods 
which  serve  to  arouse  activity  and  broaden  intelligence  oa 
the  part  of  the  scholar  will  find  help  in  Dr.  R.  M. 
Hodge's  "Manual  Methods  for  the  Sunday  School"  (30 
cents;  The  Author,  700  Park  Ave.,  N.  Y.  City)  and  my 
"Travel  Lessons  on  the  Life  of  Jesus"  (50  cents.  Under- 
wood and  Underwood,  N.  Y.  City). 

A  good  Harmony  of  the  Gospels,  a  Bible  Dictionary 
and  any  Life  of  Christ  containing  still  more  explanatory 
details  would  all  be  very  helpful  to  a  teacher. 

The  special  purpose  of  the  suggestions,  as  of  the  book 
itself,  is  not  homiletic,  or  catechetic,  but  to  glorify  the 
person  of  the  World's  Saviour.  The  methods  are  in- 
tended, by  means  of  afifluence  of  suggestion  from  geo- 
graphy, travel,  local  customs  and  other  information,  so  to 
center  curiosity,  home  study  and  attention  upon  Jesus  as 
to  secure  religious  decision  and  character. 

The  teacher  should  secure  seclusion  and  dismiss  all 
incidentals  before  the  study  period.  Note  books  and  pen- 
cils should  be  ready  and  each  Scripture  reference  should 
be  looked  up  and  marked  by  a  slip  of  paper  in  advance. 

The  Roman  numeral  headings  below  correspond  to  the 
numbers  of  the  chapters  in  the  text  of  the  book.  The 
material  in  parenthesis  is  for  the  teacher's  use. 


Scripture  Material. — (To   be  given  out,  after  the  first 
lesson,  in  advance,  for  home  reading.)  Isa.  32:  1,  2; 

Micah  5:2. 

Introductory. — After  the  first  chapter  of  the  book 

has  been  read,  at  home  or  in  the  class,  ask  why  the  author 

did  not  begin  with  Jesus  as  a  baby.     (Show  the  answer 

on  page  13.)     What  was  his  purpose,  anyway,  in  giving 


SUGKJESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  v 

us  a  "Boy's"  Life?  (Again  see  page  13  and  "A  Word 
to  Boys,"  p.  11,  fourth  paragraph.)  Upon  which  of  the 
Gospels  is  this  book  chiefly  based?  (p.  12.)  Does  Mark 
begin  with  Jesus  as  a  baby?  (Mark  1:1  and  4.)  Show 
the  class  the  chronological  chart  on  pp.  305  and  306  and 
emphasize  that  Jesus  lived  in  the  great  Augustan  age  of 
the  Roman  Empire. 

Jesus'  Home  Town. — Find  on  the  map  (opposite  p. 
267)  the  village  of  Nazareth  where  Jesus  was  brought  up. 
What  would  be  the  route  to  get  there  from  America? 
What  places  would  you  pass  on  the  voyage?  Imagine  we 
are  to  go  there  at  once.  We  have  passed  the  places  you 
(the  class)  have  mentioned  and  have  climbed  up  from 
the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  How  does  the  author  describe 
the  village  in  his  first  chapter  title?  How  elsewhere,  on 
p.  17?  Take  now  the  Palestine  map  (opposite  p.  267) 
and  point  out  upon  it  the  historic  places  visible  from 
Jesus'  home  as  I  mention  them,  interi'upting  me  as  you 
find  them.  (Read  from  p.  271,  note  4.)  Find  also 
Jerusalem  and  Bethlehem. 

Jesus'  Interests. — How  do  you  know  that  Jesus  knew 
how  to  play  "Wedding"  and  "Funeral"?  (Luke  7:  31, 
32.)  How  does  the  author  think  Jesus  was  dressed? 
(p.  18.)  See  if  the  artist  of  the  frontispiece  has  the 
same  idea.  Where  does  the  author  think  Jesus  played? 
(pp.  19,  20.)  He  speaks  of  Jesus'  interest  in  birds, 
lambs,  chickens.  What  do  we  read  of  any  such  interest 
in  the  Gospels?  (Matt.  6:26;  John  10:  11  and  27; 
Matt.  23:37.) 

The  Stories  Jesus  Knew. — What  do  you  know  about 
Joshua  the  Commander,  for  whom  Jesus  was  named? 
About  Joshua  the  Priest?  (Haggai  1:14;  Zech.  6:  11-13.) 
What  is  the  story  of  Sisera?  (Condense  from  Judges 
4:4-22.)  Of  Gideon?  (from  Judg.  7:2-7;  19-21)  of 
David?  (from  memory)  of  Saul?  (Tell  of  his  call,  his 
failure,  his  death  at  Gilboa:  1  Sam.  31:  1-6  and  2  Sam. 
1:2,  11  and  17)  of  Jehu?  (2  Kings  9:16-20,  30-34)  of 


vi  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Josiah?  (2  Kings  22:  1,  2  and  23:  29,  30).  Name  me 
the  places,  one  by  one,  (and  using  the  chapter  as  guide) 
with  which  each  of  these  heroes  was  connected?  What 
effect  would  these  historic  scenes  about  Nazareth  and  such 
heroic  stories  have  upon  a  Jewish  boy  like  Jesus?  (Con- 
sult p.  27.) 

Whom  the  People  op  Jesus'  Time  were  Expecting. 
Whom  did  the  people  of  Jesus'  country  believe  was  com- 
ing to  take  the  place  of  their  old  heroes?  (Isa.  32:  1,2.) 
In  whose  town  did  they  expect  him  to  be  born?  (Micah 
5:2.)  What  was  this  Messiah  coming  to  do?  (pp.  27, 
28.)  Do  you  suppose  Jesus  ever  thought  he  himself 
might  become  such  a  deliverer?  Why  does  the  author 
think  Jesus'  mother  was  pleased  (p.  29)  when  his  play- 
mates crowned  him  king? 

The  Kind  of  a  Boy  Jesus  Was. — Let  iis  see  what 
kind  of  a  boy  Jesus  was,  as  described  in  this  chapter. 
How  did  he  play?  How  does  he  treat  his  mother?  (pp. 
18,  19)  the  old  teacher?  (pp.  20  and  28)  his  pets?  How 
does  he  bejiiave  at  home?  (p.  29) 

After  a  closing  word  or  two,  emphasizing  that  Jesus 
must  have  been  a  fine  playmate,  a  true  friend  and  in 
every  way  a  real  boy,  gather  up  the  results  of  the  lesson 
as  follows : 

Have  each  scholar  write  on  the  title  page  of  his  note 
book  the  words  "My  Life  of  Christ"  and  his  name.  For 
the  first  chapter  let  each  write,  as  he  himself  or  the 
others  may  suggest,  a  few  words  giving  the  gist  of  the 
facts  that  have  interested  them  today.  If  you  are  using 
the  penny  pictures  or  have  gathered  any  others,  let  each 
paste  in  one  to  illustrate  his  chapter.  These  pictures, 
instead  of  the  lesson  material  proper,  eould  form  the 
subject  upon  which  to  write  each  week.  It  is  suggested 
in  any  case,  that  blank  pages  be  left  at  the  end  of  each 
chapter  for  pictures  or  maps  to  be  collected  by  the 
scholars. 
Now  assign  Scripture  material  for  next  week  and  give 


SUGOESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  vii 

oat,  to  individuals  or  to  all,  the  following: 

Home  Work  for  Next  Week. — A   Journey  to  the 

Holy  Land.     (The  route,  cost,  experiences,  places  passed 

or  visited  on  the  way,  in  detail. ) 

Life  in  Nazareth  (climate,  products,  industries). 
Synagogues   (see  Bible  Dictionary). 

II 

Scripture  Material:     Luke  2:39,  40,  52;  Deut.  6:6,  7. 

Introductory. — Where  did  we  say,  last  week,  Jesus 
was  brought  up?  How  would  we  get  there  today?  (Re- 
port on  first  Home  Work  topic.)  Tell  all  you  know 
about  Nazareth.     (Second  Home  Work  report.) 

Jesus'  Home  Life. — Have  you  an  idea  of  the  kind  of 
a  house  in  which  Jesus  lived?  (Read  the  description  be- 
ginning bottom  p.  271.  See  also  pp.  18,  19.)  How  was 
it  lighted?  warmed?  We  spoke,  last  week,  of  Jesus 
coming  with  his  mother  to  the  market-place  to  draw 
water.  Let  me  describe  that  spot  as  it  looks  now.  (Read 
note  5,  p.  272.)    Near  this  was  Jesus'  school. 

Jesus'  School. — What  is  the  title  of  the  second  chap- 
ter? Read  Chapter  II.  Review  it  by  these  questions: 
Describe,  the  schoolhouse  of  Jesus'  day.  What  else  was  it 
beside  a  school  ?  What  was  Jesus'  textbook  ?  What  kind 
of  books  does  it  contain?  What  were  his  lessons,  in 
order?    (pp.  32,  33.) 

How  would  he  recite?  How  would  his  parents  help 
him  at  home?  (Deut.  6:6,  7.)  How  would  the  village 
people  help  him?  (p.  35.)  What  about  his  vacations? 
Where  did  he  get  his  manual  training?  his  music?  his 
nature  study?  his  geography?  (p.  34)  other  languages? 
How  do  we  know  that  Jesus  could  read  and  write?  (John 
7:15;  8:6;  Luke  4:16)  What  language  did  Jesus  speak? 
To  whom  does  our  author  think  Jesus  owed  more  than 
to  his  teacher?  (p.  34)  How? 

Jesus'  Church. — We  have  said  that  Jesus'  school- 


viii  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

house  was  also  used  as  the  village  church.  Tell  me  all 
you  can  about  the  synagogues  and  their  services  (Third 
Home  Work  report.)     What  would  Jesus  learn  there? 

Jesus'  Character. — What  did  Jesus'  towns-people 
think  of  him?  (Luke  2:52.)  What  did  G-od  think  of 
him?  Why?  Name  at  least  five  fine  qualities  of  Jesus' 
character  as  a  boy  (Luke  2:40,  52).  Put  these  into  the 
second  chapter  of  the  notebook  "Life  of  Christ."  (Each 
week  this  chapter  is  to  have  the  lesson  title  and  to  in- 
clude a  svunmary  of  what  is  taught). 

Assign  next  week's  Scripture  lesson  and  arrange  for 
Home  Work. — The  City  of  Jerusalem  (Bible  Diction- 
ary) ;  The  History  of  Jerusalem  (Bible  Dictionary). 

m 

Scripture  Material :    Luke  2 :41,  42 ;  Deut.  16 :16. 

What  was  your  first  journey  from  home?  Where  did 
Jesus  go  on  his  first  journey?     (See  Scripture  above.) 

Introductory. — Read  Chapter  III  to  the  class.  Des- 
cribe the  way  the  Nazareth  people  got  ready  for  their 
camping  tour  to  Jenisalem.  (p.  36)  Describe  the  depar- 
ture in  your  own  words. 

Jesus'  First  Journey  out  into  the  World. — ^Now 
that  Jesus  is  going  out  into  the  world  for  the  first  time, 
let  us  see  what  Jesus'  world  was  to  be.  Turn  to  the 
map  (opp.  p.  267)  and  while  I  read  slowly  (note  7,  p. 
274)  point  out  each  feature  of  the  country  that  I  men- 
tion. Now  while  I  read  on  (page  275,  paragraph 
2)  point  out  on  the  map  just  the  way  Jesus  covered  this 
whole  land  in  his  journeys.  As  to  this  first  journey 
itself,  you  notice  by  the  map  that  he  must  first  cross  the 
Plain  of  Esdraelon.  Do  you  remember  anything  we 
said  about  the  Plain  in  our  first  lesson?  Listen,  while 
I  tell  you  what  he  would  see  there.  (Read  Note  6,  p. 
273.)  What  season  of  the  year  was  tliis?  (Lev.  23:5.) 
What  does  our  author  say  he  would  see  as  soon  as  he 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS     ix 

struck  into  the  main  highway  to  Jerusalem?  (p.  37.) 
What  river  would  he  cross?  What  battle  would  this 
remind  Jesus  of?  (Sisera?)  What  would  the  village 
of  Shunem  recall?  Whom,  Endor?  Whom,  Jezreel? 
Whom,  Carmel?  Whom,  Gilboa?  Describe  the  camp  at 
night,  (p.  38.)  Find  the  next  places  on  the  map  as 
they  are  mentioned  in  the  chapter.  What  story  was 
suggested  by  the  well  at  Dothan?  (Joseph.)  Describe 
the  Roman  Capital  city,  Samaria  (p.  39).  What  hap- 
pened between  mounts  Ebal  and  Gerizim?  (Joshua.) 
Who  was  buried  near  by?  (p.  40.)  Whose  well  was 
near?  What  happened  at  Bethel?  (p.  41.)  At 
Gibeah?  At  Ramah?  Look  back  through  the  chapter 
and  find  where  their  night  encampments  probably  were. 
How  many  days  did  this  journey  take? 

Jesus'  First  Sight  of  Jerusalem. — Tell  me  some- 
thing about  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  (First  Home  Work 
report.)  Get  a  picture  of  Jerusalem  as  seen  from  the 
north  or  east  if  possible  and  supplement  the  scholars' 
description  by  this  and  by  reading  from  Note  8,  pp. 
276-8.  Tell  us  something  of  the  history  of  the  city. 
(Second  Home  Work  report.)  Describe  the  way  the 
Nazareth  pilgrims  would  enter  Jerusalem,     (pp.  42,  43.) 

What  thoughts  would  be  in  Jesus'  mind  as  he  waited 
in  the  temple  to  offer  his  sacrifice?  (Get  answer  from 
reviewing  in  memory  the  impressions  that  would  be  made 
by  the  scenes  and  incidents  just  described.) 

Write  today's  chapter  in  the  "Life  of  Christ."  Give 
out  Scripture  material  and 

Home  Work. — The  origin  and  meaning  of  the  pass- 
over.  (Ex.  12:1-14.)  The  way  the  passover  was  cele- 
brated,   (Ex.  12:8-10.  26,  27.) 


X  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

IV 

Scripture  Material. — Luke  2:43-51. 

Introductory. — Have  one  of  last  week's  chapters  in 
the  "Boys'  Life  of  Christ"  read.  How  does  our  author 
tell  us  Jesus  and  his  parents  were  lodged  in  Jerusalem? 
(p.  43.)     Read  Chapter  IV. 

Jesus'  First  Passover  in  Jerusalem. — What  was  the 
story  of  the  origin  of  the  passover?  (Call  for  first 
Home  Work  report.)  What  did  it  mean?  (Ex.  12:14.) 
How  was  the  passover  celebrated  at  first?  (Second 
Home  Work  report.)  Let  us  notice  again  how  our 
author  describes  Jesus'  celebration  of  it:  what  happened 
early  in  the  morning  (Ex.  12:33-35;  Lev.  23:10,11), 
how  the  lamb  was  prepared  (pp.  45,  46),  how  the  meal 
was  eaten  (p.  46),  Jesus'  part  in  it  (Ex.  12:26,  27). 

What  was  there  to  see  in  Jerusalem  during  the  pass- 
over  festival?  (p.  47.)  What  was  Jesus  thinking  about 
during  all  these  three  days?  (p.  48,  49.)  How  did  he 
get  separated  from  his  parents  when  they  started  home- 
ward? 

Jesus'  Good  Resolution. — ^What  had  Jesus  all  this 
time  been  making  up  his  mind  to  do?  (p.  49.)  Turn  to 
Holman  Hunt's  wonderful  picture  opposite  p.  50. 
Point  out  the  details:  the  open  doorway,  the  unfinished 
temple,  blocks  and  scaffolding  outside,  the  blind  beggar, 
the  inscription  around  the  circle  on  the  door  (if  the  let- 
ters were  larger,  you  could  see  that  they  read,  in  Latin, 
"Behold,  the  Lord  whom  ye  seek  shall  suddenly  come  to 
his  Temple"),  the  lamplighter  lighting  the  lamps,  the 
parents  in  the  distance  bi'inging  their  child  for  circum- 
cision, the  old  teachers — the  blind  one  holding  the  Scrip- 
tures, his  neighbor  holding  the  phylactery,  the  temple 
choir  boys  and  attendants  listening,  the  protecting  gest- 
ures of  Joseph,  the  lo\ang  attitude  of  Mary,  the  strong, 
bright,  wondering  look  of  Jesus.  What  was  Mary's 
ftnxious  question  (Luke  2:48.)    What  was  Jesas'  answer? 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xi 

(Luke  2:49.)  Did  his  parents  understand  what  he  meant"? 
(Luke  2:50.)  What  does  the  author  think  he  meant? 
(p.  50.)  What  do  you  think,  in  your  own  words? 
What  would  it  mean  for  you  to  make  such  a  resolve? 

Write  this  week's  "chapter"  and  give  out  the  Scripture 
material  and 

Home  Work. — Find  out  all  you  can  about  Bethlehem 
and  about  carpenter  work  in  Palestine. 


Scripture  Material. — Luke  2:51,  52;  Luke  2:1-20; 
Matt.  2. 

Introductory. — Read  last  week's  chapter  in  the 
scholar's  "Life."  What  is  the  title  of  the  fifth  chapter 
in  our  textbook?    Read  this  chapter. 

Jesus  as  a  Workman. — What  kinds  of  work  did 
Jesus  do  as  a  young  man  in  Nazareth?  (pp.  52,  53  and 
Second  Home  Work  rep>ort).  When  did  Joseph  probably 
die?  (p.  52.)  How  many  people  did  Jesus  have  to 
support?  (p.  53.)  What  were  the  advantages  of  a  car- 
penter's life?  (p.  54.)  What  might  he  do  during  his 
holidays?  (p.  52.)  How  was  Jesus'  home  probably  fur- 
nished? (p.  53.)  What  was  his  daily  food?  (p.  53.) 
What  books  did  he  have  to  read?  (p.  51.)  What  did  he 
and  his  companions  find  to  talk  about?  (pp.  56,  57.) 

Jesus  Learns  About  His  Babyhood. — Describe  how 
our  author  thinks  Jesus  came  to  know  about  his  baby 
days  (pp.  54,  55.)  From  what  noted  men  has  Jesus' 
genealogy  been  traced?  (Matt.  1:2,  5,  6,  7.)  What  is 
the  story  of  Jesus'  birth  in  Luke?  (Luke  2:1-20.)  Find 
Bethlehem  on  the  map.  Show  a  picture  of  it  if  possi- 
ble. Describe  it  (First  Home  Work  report  and  the 
notes  2  and  3,  pp.  268,  270).  What  is  the  story  of  the 
flight  into  Egypt?  (Matt.  2.)  Trace  on  the  map  the 
route  of  Jesus'  parents  down  to  Egypt  and  back  to  Naza- 
reth.   The  first  three  dates  in  Jesus  life?  (p.  305.) 


xii  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Jesus  Living  for  Others. — What  anticipations  did 
Jesus'  companions  have  of  the  coming  of  their  king? 
(p.  56.)  What  did  Mary  believe  about  his  coming? 
(p.  55  and  Luke  1 :35,  52.)  What  did  Jesus  think  about 
these  things'?  (pp.  57,  59.)  Turn  to  Hohnan  Hunt's 
picture,  opposite  p.  58.  Point  out  the  quietness  of  the 
carpenter's  shop,  the  late  afternoon  sunlight,  the  distant 
view  down  toward  Jerusalem,  the  saw  in  the  wood,  the 
mother  kneeling  over  the  chest  containing  the  rich  and 
royal  gifts  of  the  Magi,  her  frightened  glance  at  the 
shadow  of  the  cross  made  by  Jesus'  body  on  the  wall,  the 
strong,  patient  Jesus,  resting  from  his  task  and  content 
to  do  his  Father's  will,  even  unto  that  cross.  The  les- 
son :  Jesus'  glory  not  an  earthly  crown,  but  giving  his 
life  for  others.  He  began  to  do  this  as  a  carpenter.  He 
did  it  all  his  days  and  finally  by  his  death. 

Write  today's  "chapter"  and  give  out  Scripture  ma- 
terial. 

Home  Work. — Where  is  the  probable  region  of  John's 
baptizing?    What  is  the  meaning  of  Baptism? 

VI 

Scripture  Material. — Luke  3  :l-23. 

Introductory. — Read  last  week's  students'  "chapter." 
Read  from  the  textbook,  beginning  at  page  58  and 
through  Chapter  VI. 

John  the  Baptist. — Who  were  the  parents  of  John 
the  Baptist?  (Luke  1:5,  6.)  How  was  he  related  to 
Jesus?  (Luke  1:36.)  Did  the  two  probably  meet  as 
boys?  (pp.  66,  67.)  What  had  John's  parents  antici- 
pated their  boy  would  do?  (Luke  1:76,  77.)  How  does 
our  author  describe  him  as  a  man?  (p.  61.)  Let  us  see 
in  what  sort  of  a  place  he  made  his  home?  (Read  note 
9,  p.  278.)  What  impressions  does  the  author  think  his 
appearing  made  upon  those  who  firet  heard  about  him? 
(pp.  58,  59.)     Where  is  the  probable  region  of  John's 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xiii 

baptizing?  (First  Home  Work  report.)  Find  on  tbe 
map  the  Jordan  region  near  Jericho.  Trace  the  route 
thither  from  Nazareth.  Let  us  see  what  sort  of  a  place 
this  was.  (Read  note  10,  pp.  278,  279.)  The  date  of 
Jesus'  baptism  (p.  305).  What  were  some  of  the  things 
John  said  to  the  people?  (Luke  3:7-16.)  What  was  the 
main  thing  he  taught?  (Matt.  3:8.)  How  did  he  tell 
them  they  could  do  this?  (Luke  3:10-14.)  What  wild 
illustrations  did  he  use?     (Matt.  3:5,  6,  11,  12.) 

Jesus^  Baptism. — What  did  he  say  when  he  saw  Jesus 
coming  to  him?  (Matt.  3:14.)  What  vision  did  Jesus 
see  while  he  was  being  baptized?  (Matt.  3:15.)  What 
assurance  came  to  him  that  he  was  in  the  right  way? 
(Matt.  3:17.)  What  does  our  author  think  the  coming 
of  Jesus  for  baptism  meant?  (p.  65.)  What  would 
such  a  sacrament  mean  for  you?  (Second  Home  Work 
report.) 

Write  "chapter"  and  give  out  Scripture  material. 

Home  Work. — How  do  young  people  today  have 
temptations  like  each  of  these  of  Jesus?  (three  reports). 

VII 

Scripture  Material. — Matt.  4:1-10. 

Introductory. — Where  did  we  leave  Jesus  in  last 
week's  lesson  story?  Where  did  he  go  next?  (Matt. 
4:1.)  For  what  purpose?  (Matt.  4:1  and  seventh  chap- 
ter title.)  Read  Chapter  VII.  Let  us  find  out  what  sort 
of  country  this  region  was.  (Note  9,  p.  278.)  What 
was  Elijah's  connection  with  this  region?  (I  Kings  17: 
1-6.) 

Jesus'  Temptations. — With  what  sort  of  feeling  did 
Jesus  probably  come  into  this  wilderness?  (p.  67,  68.) 
Where  did  he  probably  stay?  (p.  68.)  What  was  the 
first  temptation?  (Matt.  4:3.)  What  suggested  it? 
(pp.  68,  69.)  How  would  you,  in  your  own  words,  inter- 
pret this  and  Jesus'  answer?     (See   also   pp.    69,    69.) 


xiv  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

What  was  the  second  temptation?  (Matt.  ^:5,  6.)  What 
suggested  it?  (p.  70  and  note  12,  p.  281.)  How  do  you 
interpret  this  temptation  and  Jesus'  reply?  (See  also  pp. 

71,  72.)  What  was  the  third  temptation?  (Matt.  4:9.) 
What  place  may  have  suggested  it?  (Run  over  the  first 
part  of  note  11,  p.  279  rapidly  and  begin  to  read  at 
bottom  of  page  280.)  How  do  you  interpret  this  and 
Jesus'  reply?  (See  also  p.  72.)  Could  Jesus  have  become 
a  world-conqueror?  What  was  the  near  and  what  the 
farther  result  of  these  temptations?  (Matt.  4:11  and  pp. 

72,  73.)  What  does  the  first  temptation  mean  in  a 
young  person's  life  today?  What,  the  second?  What, 
the  third  ?  ( Home  Work  reports. )  ( Answers  suggested : 
The  temptation  to  be  selfish;  to  show  off;  to  sell  one's 
ideals.) 

Write  today's  chapter  and  give  out  Scripture  material. 

Home  Work. — Illustrations  from  history  and  present 
day  life  of  the  way  men  are  called  on  to  stand  up  for 
the  right.    (Several  reports.) 

VIII 

Scripture  Material— John  1:29-57;  2:1-22. 

Jesus'  First  Disciples.— Review  our  last  lesson. 
Jesus  and  John  seem  to  have  gone  up  the  Jordan  to 
some  spot  near  the  Lake  of  Galilee.  Read  Chapter  VIII. 
Describe  the  way  John  sent  his  disciples  to  Jesus.  (John 
1:35,  37.)  What  did  John  say  of  Jesus  at  this  time? 
(John  1:26,  27.)  Were  these  things  easy  for  John  to 
do?  (p.  74.)  What  did  those  two  disciples  do  the  first 
day  they  spent  with  Jesus?  (John  1:38,  39,  also  p.  76.) 
Who  were  these  two?  (Andrew  and  John.)  Tell  how 
Philip  and  Nathaniel  were  called.  (John  1:43-51.) 
Where  did  Jesus  go  next?  (John  2:1.)  Find  this  place 
on  the  map.  Trace  the  route  (p.  79).  Is  it  near  Nazar- 
eth? Tell  in  your  own  words  what  happened  there. 
(Prom  John  2:1-11  and  pp.  80-82;  also  note  14,  p.  283.) 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xv 

Why  did  Jesus  take  his  friends  to  this  wedding?  (p.  79.) 
For  what  purpose  did  Jesus  go  next  to  Capernaum'? 
(John  2:12,  p.  82.)  Find  Capernaum  on  the  map.  Let 
us  see  what  kind  of  a  place  it  was  (pp.  82,  83). 

Jesus  Cleansing  the  Templ]^. — Where  did  Jesus  go 
next  and  why?  (John  2:13.)  The  date?  (p.  305.)  How 
does  our  author  describe  the  conversations  on  the  way? 
(pp.  83,  84.)  How  do  the  Scriptures  describe  the 
cleansing  of  the  Temple?  (John  2:14,  16.)  Describe  it 
yourself  from  Hof man's  drawing  (opposite  p.  86), 
pointing  out  what  each  person  is  doing.  What  effect  did 
this  brave  act  have?  (John  2:17,  18;  3:1;  also  pp.  86, 
88.)  What  were  some  of  the  things  J^us  said  to  Nico- 
demufi  at  this  tjme?  (John  3:3-16.)  Why  do  you  think 
Jesus  cleansed  the  temple?  (Suggestion  on  p.  88.)  How 
may  we  be  called  upon  thus  to  stand  up  for  the  rightt 
Give  illustrations.     (Home  Work  reports.) 

Close  as  usual. 

Home  Work. — The  Samaritans. 

IX 

Scripture  Material. — Johrt  3:22  to  4:42. 

Jesus  and  the  Samaritans. — ^Where  did  Jesus  go 
after  our  last  lesson?  (John  3:22.)  What  months  did  he 
spend  this  way?  (p.  305.)  What  season  of  the  year  was 
it  now?  (John  4:35.)  To  what  part  of  the  country  did 
he  next  turn?  (John  4:1-3.)  Read  Chapter  IX.  What 
kind  of  people  were  the  Samaritans?  (Home  Work 
repvort.)  Does  thi^  map  indicate  that  in  going  from 
Judea  to  Galilee  it  was  necessary  for  Jesus  to  go  through 
Samaria?  What  "need"  was  there?  What  sort  of 
country  is  it  around  Jacob's  well?  (note  15,  p.  283.) 
Find  it  on  the  map.  Describe  the  well  today.  (Note  16, 
p.  284.)  Why  did  Jesus  pause  at  this  well?  What  time 
of  the  day  was  it  then?  (John  4:6.)  What  sort  of  a 
woman  met  him  there?  (p.  90.)     Where  were  his  dis- 


xvi  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

eiples?  (John  4:8.)  What  did  Jesus  ask  of  her?  (John 
4:7.)  Why  did  he  do  this?  What  did  Jesus  say  next! 
(John  4:10.)  What  did  he  mean?  (John  4:14.)  What 
did  Jesus  ask  her  to  do?  (John  4:16.)  How  did  she 
change  the  subject?  (John  4:20.)  What  did  Jesus 
answer?  (John  4:23,  24.)  What  did  he  finally  tell  her? 
(John  4:26.)  Now  that  we  have  the  facts  of  the  lesson, 
let  us  see  how  far  apart  Jesus  and  the  woman  were. 
What  was  he  thinking  of  and  what  was  she  when  he 
spoke  about  water ;  about  her  husband ;  about  the  Messiah ; 
about  God?  How  did  he  clear  up  each  of  these  things 
for  her?  Did  she  become  converted?  Why  do  you  think 
so?  What  impression  do  you  think  Jesus  made  on  this 
woman?  Why  did  he  bother  with  a  person  Ijke  her? 
(Suggestion  from  p.  93.)  What  good  was  he  enabled  to 
do  through  this  conversation  with  her?  (John  4:39-41.) 
What  does  this  teach  us  about  the  way  Jesus  set  about 
all  his  work?  (p.  94.) 

Home   Work. — House  Roofs   and   Stairways  in   the 
Holy  Land. 


Scripture  Material. — Luke  4:16,  31,  40,  41;  5:1-11; 
Matt.S:22,  24;  Mark  2:1-17;  5:21-43. 

Introductory. — As  this  is  the  longest  chapter,  read  it 
at  once.  Note  on  page  305  that  it  covers  eight  months  of 
time,  from  December,  A.D.  27  to  the  summer  of  A.D.  28, 
Let  all  notice  that  this  chapter  describes  a  day  in  Nazar- 
eth ;  his  going  to  Capernaum  to  live,  and  a  typical  night 
and  day  there. 

Jesus  Rejected  at  Nazareth. — Why  did  Jesus  come 
north  into  Galilee?  (Matt.  4:12.)  Describe  the  impres- 
sion Jesus  made  when  he  first  reached  Nazareth.  (Luke 
4:22.)  Why  did  the  feelings  of  his  old  neighbors 
change?  (pp.  96-98.)  What  finally  happened?  Where 
did  Jesus  and  his  mother  go  to  live?  (Matt.  4:13.) 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xvii 

Jesus  and  His  Four  Friends. — Describe  the  shore  at 
Capernaum,  (pp.  100  and  282.)  Show  a  picture, if  you 
can,  either  from  a  painting  or  of  Tiberias  today.  Tell 
how  Jesus  called  his  first  four  friends.  (Condense  from 
Luke  5:1-11.)  How  did  this  call  differ  from  the  one  in 
Chapter  VIII?  Why  should  these  business  men  wish  to 
leave  all  for  Jesus?  (p.  101.)  Why  did  he  select  so  many 
fishermen?  (Because  fishers  are  brave,  loyal,  faithful, 
constant. ) 

Jesus'  Summer  of  Sunshine. — Our  author  now  des- 
cribes a  full  day  and  night  in  Jesus'  life,  to  show  to  what 
sort  of  service  he  called  his  companions.  Describe  what 
happened  in  the  early  part  of  the  night.  (Matt.  8 :23-27.) 
What  occurred  when  they  landed  on  the  other  side? 
(Condense  from  Mark  5:1-20,  See  also  pp.  103,  104.) 
Describe  what  Jesus  did  early  the  next  morning.  (Mark 
2:1-3.)  Let  us  see  if  we  understand  how  Jesus'  home, 
in  which  he  was  speaking,  was  built.  (Home  Work  re- 
port, also  pp.  285,  286),  so  that  what  happened  next 
could  happen.  Now  describe  the  bringing  and  healing 
of  the  paralytic  (Mark  2:3-12  and  pp.  105-108.)  What 
did  Jesus  do  at  noon?  (Mark  2:13-17  and  pp.  108,  109.) 
Why  was  not  one  like  Jesus  expected  to  dine  with  one 
like  Matthew?  Why  did  he  do  it?  What  did  Jesus  do 
that  afternoon  ?  ( Condense  from  Mark  5 :21-43  and  pp. 
109-110.)  How  did  Jesus  finish  his  busy  day?  (Luke 
4:40.)  Who  are  the  people  in  Zimmerman's  painting 
(opposite  p.  112)  of  Jesus  healing?  What  is  each  one 
saying? 

The  Plan  of  Jesus'  Work. — Why  did  Jesus  spend 
his  time  in  these  ways  as  described  in  our  lesson?  (p.  11.) 
Why  do  you  think  our  author  calls  this  a  "Summer  of 
Sunshine?"    Write  the  "chapter." 

Home  Work. — Find  out  what  you  can  about  the 
Twelve.     (Have  reports  of  them  by  groups  of  four.) 

,  ••«^  "* 


xviii  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

XI 

Scripture  Material. — Mark  3:7-19;  Matt.  5-7  inclusive; 
Mark  6:7-13;  Matt.  10:5-42.) 

Introductory. — The  last  chapter  includes  what  is 
usually  called  the  first  period  of  Jesus'  Galilean  minis- 
try (see  p.  305,  "The  Campaign  in  Galilee.")  This 
chapter  and  the  next  two  include  the  second  period  of 
that  ministry,  the  summer,  autumn  and  winter  of  A.  D. 
28. 

Review  the  last  lesson  in  the  students'  written  work 
and  read  Chapter  XI. 

Jesus  Chooses  the  Twelve. — We  are  now  coming  to 
a  ministry  more  wide-spread  than  in  Capemaimi  alone. 
What  other  people  had  heard  of  Jesus?  (Matt.  4:24,  25.) 
Whereabouts  did  Jesus  go  now?  (Matt.  4:23.)  Did 
people  want  to  hear  him?  (Mark  3:8-10.)  But  for  this 
wider  ministry  he  needed  more  helpers  than  the  few 
friends  he  had  already  called.  Why  did  he  choose  just 
twelve  men?  Why  did  he  not  use  his  own  brothers? 
(p.  112.)  Were  they  probably  young  or  old?  Experi- 
enced or  inexperienced?  How  many  were  fishermen? 
How  many  were  poor?  Exactly  what  did  each  one 
leave?  How  does  our  author  describe  the  night  when 
Jesus  was  deciding  whom  to  choose?  (pp.  113,  114.) 
Let  us  see  what  sort  of  a  place  it  was  where  the  choice 
was  made.  (Have  a  picture,  if  possible,  and  read  note 
20,  pp.  286,  287.)  Who  were  finally  called?  (Mark  3: 
16-19.)  Tell  all  you  can  about  each  one.  (Home  work 
reports.)  What  three  things  were  they  chosen  to  do? 
(Mark  3:14,  15.)  Just  what  was  Jesus  requiring  of 
them?  (John  1:43;  21:19.)  How  does  our  author  des- 
cribe the  way  Jesus  called  them  out?  (p.  115.)  What  is 
the  name  usually  given  to  that  sermon  that  Jesus  spoke 
at  that  time  to  the  twelve?  (Matt.  5:1.)  Where  in  the 
Bible  is  it  found?  (Matt.  5  to  7  inclusive.)  What  do  we 
usually  call  Jesus'  text,  found  in  Matt.  5:3-12?    What 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xix 

does  our  author  call  it?  (p.  116.)  How  was  Jesus  inter- 
rupted on  his  way  down  from  the  mountain?  (Matt.  8: 
1-3.)  What  did  Jesus  say  and  do?  Why  did  he  touch 
the  leper?  (p.  118.) 

The  Ministry  of  the  Twelve. — Where  did  the 
Twelve  now  live?  (p.  118.)  How  did  they  get  food? 
(p.  119.)  Who  helped  take  care  of  them?  (Luke  8:1-3.) 
How  did  they  spend  their  time^  (Matt.  10:7,  8.)  Who 
went  as  companions  together?  (p.  120.)  To  whom  only 
did  they  go?  (Matt.  10:5,  6.)  What  sort  of  a  reception 
did  they  sometimes  have?  (Mark  6:11.)  What  did  they 
tell  the  people?  (Mark  16:12.)  Was  Jesus  always  with 
them?  (p.  121.)  Was  this  an  easy  life?  (Mark  6:8-9 
and  Matt.  10 :16-23,  and  page  121.)  How  was  it  a  better 
one  than  the  one  they  had  been  living?  Why  did  they 
choose  it?  (pp.  121,  122.)  What  comfort  did  they  have 
from  Jesus?  (Matt.  10:29-32.)  Why  do  men  want  to 
follow  Jesus  now?  (Matt.  10:32,  39,  42.)  How  can 
men  follow  him? 

The  weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — John  the  Baptist. 

XII 

Scripture  Material.— Mark  6:17-29;  Luke  7:18-50. 

Introductory. — We  are  coming  to  the  close  of  the 
second  period  of  the  Galilean  ministry,  with  the  death  of 
John  the  Baptist,  in  March,  27.  Review  the  scholars' 
knowledge  of  John.    Read  chapter  XII. 

John  the  Baptist  and  Jesus. — Find  on  the  map  the 
place  of  John's  imprisonment.  Why  had  he  been  im- 
prisoned? (Mark  6:  17, 18.)  Why  would  it  be  peculiarly 
hard  for  a  man  like  him  to  be  shut  up?  (Luke  1:80; 
Matt.  3:3,  4.)  What  doubts  began  to  creep  into  John's 
mind  about  Jesus?  (Luke  7:19.)  How  different  had 
John  thought  Jesus  was  to  be?  (Matt.  3:11,  12.)  Where 
did  John's  friendfe  find  Jesus  when  they  came  to  him 


XX  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

bringing  John's  message?  What  doing?  How  did  the 
host,  a  Pharisee,  treat  Jesus?  (Luke  7:44,  46.)  Why? 
What  beautiful  attention  did  Jesus  receive  instead? 
(Luke  7:37,  38.)  What  sort  of  a  woman  was  she? 
Why  did  she  do  this?  What  did  Jesus  say  about  her? 
( Luke  7 :47. )  What  did  he  say  to  her  ?  ( Luke  7 :48-50. ) 
What  did  the  people  say?  (Luke  7:49.)  How  would 
Jesus'  words  and  acts  probably  impress  John's  messen- 
gers? (Bottom  p.  126.)  What  questions  did  John's 
friends  ask  Jesus?  (Luke  7:20.)  What  did  Jesus  reply? 
(Luke  7:21,  22  and  p.  127.)  What  did  he  mean  by  act- 
ing as  he  did  (verse  21)  before  he  answered?  What 
did  he  mean  by  his  answer?  What  did  he  urge  John  to 
do?  (Luke  7:23.)  What  eulogy  did  he  then  pronounce 
on  John?  (Luke  7:24-28.)  What  did  he  mean  by  that 
last  sentence?  (Bottom  p.  127.)  Did  John  prove  true 
to  Jesus'  command?  (p.  128.) 

The  Death  of  John  the  Baptist. — What  influence 
did  John  begin  to  have  on  Herod?  (Mark  6:20.)  By 
what  scheme  was  his  death  finally  brought  about?  (Mark 
6:21-28.)  How  did  Herod  afterwards  feel  about  it? 
(Mark  6:26  and  p.  131.)  Was  he  to  blame?  Why? 
What  was  Herod's  end?  (p.  131.)  To  whom  did  John's 
friends  turn  when  their  hero  was  gone?  (Matt.  14:12.) 
Sum  up  in  your  class  "chapter"  today  the  great  qualities 
of  John  the  Baptist. 

Home  Work. — The  Lake  of  Galilee. 

XIII 

Scripture  Material. — John  6  :1-21. 

Introductory. — After  John  sent  his  last  message  to 
Jesus  in  Capemaimi  at  the  close  of  his  first  preaching 
tour  with  the  Twelve,  Jesus  had  taken  two  more  tours, 
one  through  the  lake  region  of  Galilee  and  another,  the 
last  in  lower  Galilee,  a  wider  circuit,  as  far  as  Nazareth, 
where  he  was  rejected  again,  and  back  to  Capernaum. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xxi 

It  was  during  the  lake  region  tour  that  he  spoke  his 
marvelous  parables  drawn  from  daily  life  (found  in 
Matt.  13:1-53;  Mark  4:1-34;  Luke  8:4-18)  and  it  was 
here  that  the  scribes  and  Pharisees  began  to  oppose 
hun.  How?  (Matt.  12:2,  24  and  38.)  Jesus  met  them 
by  Scripture  (Matt.  12:3-5,  25,  39,  40),  by  reason 
(Matt.  12:6,  7,  27,  28,  41,  42),  and  by  mighty  power 
(Matt.  12:13,  22).  What  were  the  common  people  say- 
ing about  Jesus  at  this  time?  (Luke  11:27.)  What,  his 
own  relatives?  (Mark  3:21,  31-35.)  Just  before  John's 
death  he  had  sent  the  disciples  out  two  by  two  again, 
and  they  had  just  returned  (Mark  6:30).  A  year  had 
passed  since  they  were  called  and  it  was  early  summer 
once  more  (p.  305).    Read  Chapter  XIII. 

The  Crisis  of  Jesus^  Ministry. — What  change  of 
feeling  did  the  death  of  John  produce  among  the  Twelve  ? 
(p.  132.)  Was  Jesus  alarmed?  What  sensible  course 
did  he  suggest?  (Mark  6:21.)  Why?  Find  the  route 
across  the  Lake  on  the  map.  Let  us  see  what  we  know 
about  this  lake  of  Galilee  (Home  Work  report,  and  note 
22,  pp.  288,  289.)  Can  you  see  across  it?  At  what 
time  of  day  did  they  start?  In  what  sort  of  boat  did 
they  go?  (Note  22,  p.  288.)  What  sort  of  a  place  did 
they  come  to?  (John  6:3  and  10.)  What  other  places 
could  they  see  from  the  hillside?  (Note  23,  p.  289.)  How 
was  Jesus'  plan  for  rest  interrupted?  (John  6:2.) 
Where  were  these  people  bound  for?  How  did  Jesus 
receive  them?  (Mark  6:34.)  How  did  he  spend  the  day 
with  them?  (Luke  9:11.)  How  did  the  people  receive 
what  he  said  to  them?  (p.  135.)  What  conversation  took 
place  at  sunset?  (John  6:5-10.)  Who  do  you  think  this 
boy  was?  Where  had  he  been  all  day?  How  were  the 
multitude  fed?  (Mark  6:40,  41.)  Why  did  Jesus  not  let 
them  go  home  or  seek  food  for  themselves?  (p.  137.) 
How  did  the  people  act  after  the  supper  was  over? 
(John  6:14.)  How  does  our  author  think  the  Twelve 
felt  about  this?  (p.  138).    What  did  Jesus  do?  (John 


xxii  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

6:15.)    Why  did  he  do  this?    Was  he  not  a  king?    Why 
should  he  not  let  them  make  him  one?     How  is  Jesus 
King  today?    Where?    When? 
Home  Work. — Phoenicia.    Tyre  and  Sidon. 

XIV 

Scripture  Material— John  6:22-35,  66-71;  Mark  7:24-31. 

Introductory. — Read  Chapter  XIV.  The  morning 
after  the  supper  by  the  lake  Jesus  says  good-bye  to 
Capernaum.  What  day  was  it?  (p.  140).  Where  were 
the  people  gathered?  (p.  140).  What  conversation  took 
place  there?  (John  6:30-35.)  What  did  his  townsmen 
do  when  he  said  these  things?  (John  6:66.)  Why  was 
this  day  the  crisis  in  Jesus'  ministry?  (Because  of  his 
having  rejected  a  political  leadership,  the  people  now 
turned  against  Jesus.)  What  question  did  Je^us  ask  the 
Twelve?  (John  6:67.)  What  noble  answer  did  Peter 
make?  (John  6:68,  69.)  Who  did  Jesus  know  was  now 
beginning  to  be  untrue  to  him?  (John  6:71.) 

Jesus'  Ministry  to  Northern  Galilee  and  Phceni- 
CiA. — Trace  on  the  map  the  direction  and  goal  of  Jesus' 
next  journey.  He  turns  now  deliberately  away  from  the 
multitude,  seeing  that  his  deepest  influence  must  be  on 
the  disciples  and  not  on  the  crowd.  How  long  was  Jesus 
gone  on  his  journey?  (p.  305.)  How  far  did  he  walk? 
(Bottom  p.  142.)  What  do  you  know  about  this  country 
of  Phoenicia  to  which  he  came?  (First  Home  Work 
report.)  What  about  its  two  leading  cities?  (Second 
Home  Work  report.)  What  could  they  see  in  these  two 
towns?  (p.  143.)  How  does  Tyre  look  today?  (p.  290.) 
With  what  Scripture  hero  is  it  associated  ?  How  ?  Why 
did  Jesus  bring  his  disciples  to  Tyre?  (p.  144.)  Was 
his  purpose  successful?  (p.  144.)  Tell  what  happened 
in  the  Tyrian  country.  (Mark  7:24-30.)  What  humor 
was  there  in  what  Jesus  said?  in  the  woman's  answer? 
What  word  of  praise  did  Jesus  give  her?  (Matt.  15:28.) 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xxiii 

To  whom  else  had  he  spoken  such  words'?  (pp.  146, 
147.)  What  does  our  author  think  Jesus  thought  of  his 
disappointment  with  his  own  disciples?  (Bottom  p.  147.) 
Why  does  the  author  choose  the  title  he  uses  for  this 
chapter?  Why  did  Jesus  not  turn  from  his  countrymen 
to  these  noble-hearted  people?  (p.  142.)  What  noble 
quaEty  was  there  in  this  action?  Are  there  fine  traits 
in  all  races  that  are  foreign  to  us?  Name  some,  among 
the  immigrants  to  our  own  town.  How  does  Jesus  feel 
toward  these  races?  What  practical  duties  have  we  to 
them? 

The  weekly  chapter,  summing  up  the  discussion  of  the 
last  question,  in  the  light  of  Jesus'  action  in  the  lesson. 

Home  Work. — Decapolis.  Mount  Hermon. 

XV 

Scripture  Material.— Matt.  15 :29-31 ;  Mark  8 :22  to  9 :33. 
Introductory. — In  what  month  did  Jesus  start  back 
toward  home?  (p.  305.)  In  which  direction  did  he  move? 
(p.  148.)  Trace  the  journey  suggested  on  pp.  148,  149 
on  the  map.  What  was  the  name  of  the  region  to  which 
he  came?  What  do  you  know  about  it?  (p.  149  and  the 
First  Home  Work  report.)  Who  had  prepared  the  way 
for  Jesus'  coming?  (Mark  5:18-20.)  What  did  Jesus  do 
in  Decapolis?  (Matt.  15:30.)  What  effect  did  this  have 
on  the  Deeapolitans ?  (Matt.  15:31.)  To  what  place  did 
Jesus  return?  (Mark  8:22.)  Read  Chapter  XV.  Our 
author,  speaking  of  the  enemies  of  Jesus,  assures  us  of 
three  classes  of  people  who  were  not  of  the  number; 
who  were  these?  (p.  150.)  Who  were  his  foes?  Why? 
(pp.  150,  151.)  What  modern  names  does  our  author 
give  to  the  forces  opposed  to  Jesus?  (Top  p.  152.)  In 
what  ways  could  Jesus  have  warded  off  the  fate  his  foes 
were  planning  for  him?  (p.  152.)  Why  did  he  not  do 
it?  (Bottom  p.  152.)  How  does  our  author  rank  Jesus 
among  heroes?  (p.  153.) 


xxiY  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

-  Jesus  Foretells  His  Death. — Where  did  Jesus  go 
from  Capernaum?  (Mark  8:27.)  Trace  this  journey  on 
the  map.  How  far. was  it?  What  do  you  know  about 
this  Mount  Hermon  region?  (Second  Home  Work  re- 
port and  note  25,  pp.  290,  291.)  What  conversation  did 
he  have  with  his  disciples  on  the  way?  (Mark  8:27-29.) 
Why  might  Jesus'  coming  have  been  mistaken  for  the 
reappearance  of  John  the  Baptist?  for  Elijah?  for  an- 
other of  the  prophets?  How  would  the  motives  for 
which  various  ones  of  the  disciples  joined  Jesus  (suggest- 
ed pp.  154,  155)  affect  their  opinion  of  him?  Who  did 
have  the  right  idea?  What  virtue  did  even  those  of  the 
Twelve  show  who  did  not  understand  Jesus?  (p.  155.) 
What  warm  praise  did  Jesus  give  Peter  upon  his  con- 
fession? (Matt.  16:17,  18.)  What  did  he  mean  by  that 
last  sentence?  (pp.  155,  156.)  Did  he  mean  that  Peter 
was  to  be  the  only  one  who  was  to  be  a  pillar  of  his 
church?  (Rev.  3:12;  Gal.  2:9.) 

What  sad  forecast  did  J'^us  make  during  this  conver- 
sation? (Mark  8:31,  32.)  Why  was  this  attitude  of 
Peter's  a  temptation  to  Jesus?  Why  was  Jesus  willing 
to  die?  (Mark  8:35,  first  part.)  Does  such  a  time  ever 
come  to  men  now?  When?  What  sharp  answer  did 
Jesus  make  to  Peter?  (Mark  8:33.)  Why  did  he  say 
this?  (Mark  8:34  and  36.)  Why  was  this  remark  about 
'•bearing  the  cross"  so  hateful  to  them  that  heard  it? 
(p.  157.)  What  more  happy  promise  did  Jesus  make 
haste  to  add?  (Mark  9:1.) 

The  Transfiguration. — Where  did  Jesus  go  a  week 
later?  (Mark  9:2.)  Why  did  he  take  only  three  of  the 
Twelve?  Describe  the  way  up  the  mountain  and  the 
view  from  the  summit,  (p.  157,  158.)  Note  the  boun- 
daries of  this  view  on  the  map.  What  vision  came  to 
Jesus  while  his  friends  were  asleep?  (Luke  9:30.)  Why, 
of  these  especial  two  heroes?  (p.  159.)  How  would 
such  a  vision  help  Jesus  die?  WTiat  foolish  remark  did 
Peter  make  when  the  three  awoke?  (Mark  9:5.)     What 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  xxv 

perhaps  suggested  this?  (Bottom  of  p.  286.)  What  was 
happening  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain?  (Mark  9:14-27.) 
Why  has  this  been  called  "the  Transfiguration  in  the 
Valley?"  What  do  you  think  was  the  most  glorious 
thing  about  Jesus'  character? 
The  weekly  summary. 

Home  Work. — Let  each  one  of  the  class  copy  into  his 

notebook  the  chronological  chart  on  page  305-306  and 

try  to  find  out  other  events  that  were  taking  place  in  the 

orld  during  these  years,  to  write  in  an  opposite  column. 

XVI 

Scripture  Material— Mark  9:30-50;  10:17-45;  John  7:1 
to  59;  Luke  9:51  to  10:37. 

Introductory. — Returning  through  Capernaum,  Jesus 
goes  to  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  in  the  late  fall  of  the 
year  29.    Read  Chapter  XVI. 

Jesus'  Disappointments. — Did  the  Twelve  believe 
that  Jesus  was  really  going  to  die?  (Mark  8:30.)  What 
selfish  ideas  were  filling  their  minds?  (Mark  9:34.) 
How  did  three  of  his  nearest  friends  show  what  was  in 
their  hearts?  (Mark  10:35-37.)  How  did  his  disciples 
show  their  intolerance?  (Mark  9:38;  Luke  9:52,  53.) 
How  did  a  promising  young  volunteer  disappoint  him? 
(Mark  10:17-22.)  How  did  others  fail  him?  (Luke  9: 
57-61.)  How  did  his  own  brothers  annoy  him?  (John 
7:2-6.)  With  what  feelings  did  Jesus  himself  approach 
his  end?  (Luke  12:50.)  How  did  his  manner  impress 
his  disciples?  (Mark  10:32.) 

Jesus'  Last  Tasks. — What  three  things  did  Jesus 
plan  to  do  before  his  death?  (p.  165,  166.)  How  did  he 
do  the  first?  (Luke  10:1.)  How  did  their  orders  differ 
from  these  Jesus  had  given  the  Twelve  ?  ( From  Luke  12 : 
2-11  and  p.  166.)  What  proclamation  did  they  carry  in 
behalf  of  Jesus?  (Matt.  11:28-30.)  How  did  their  em- 
bassage result?  (Luke  10:17.)     How  did  Jesus  welcome 


xxvi  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OP  CHRIST 

them  upon  their  return?  (Luke  12:18  and  21.)  How 
did  Jesus  carry  out  his  second  plan,  to  appeal  to  Jeru- 
salem? (John  7:10;  Luke  9 :51;  John  10 :22.)  What  did 
the  Jerusalemites  say  about  Jesus?  (John  7:12,  15,  20, 
25,  27,  31,  40,  43.)  What  were  his  enemies  there  saying? 
(John  7:45-49.)  What  staunch  friend  spoke  a  good 
word  for  him  then?  (John  7:50,  51.)  Why  did  Jesus 
leave  Jerusalem?  (John  8:59.)  Within  two  months  he 
was  back  again.  Tell  in  your  owti  words  one  of  the 
stories  Jesus  told  the  people  on  his  way  back  to  Jeru- 
salem? (Luke  10:25-37.)  How  was  he  soon  forced  out 
of  the  city  again?  (John  10:29-39.)  And  now  how  did 
he  carry  out  his  third  plan,  to  prepare  his  disciples  to 
continue  his  work  after  he  was  gone?  (John  10:49.) 
With  what  dear  friend  was  this  region  associated?  (John 
30:40.)  Why  does  our  author  think  all  this,  which 
seemed  a  failure,  was  really  not?  (p.  178.)  What  les- 
son does  this  suggest  to  us  about  real  success  in  life? 

Weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — The  Jews'  interest  in  their  children. 

XVII 

Scripture  Material. — Mark  10:13-16. 

Introductory. — Jesus  withdraws  east  of  the  Jordan 
into  Perea  (see  map),  where  he  spends  his  time  in  train- 
ing the  Twelve  to  continue  his  work.  Here  they  remain 
nearly  six  months  (see  p.  306),  during  the  winter  and 
early  spring  of  the  year  29-30.  Our  author  enlarges  in 
the  present  chapter  on  a  gracious  deed  which  Jesus  per- 
formed just  before  he  went  from  Perea  up  to  Jerusalem 
for  the  last  time.    Read  Chapter  XVII. 

Jesus  and  Children. — What  was  the  furniture  in  an 
ordinary  Jewish  house  at  the  time  of  Jesus?  (p.  79.) 
Was  this  different  from  what  we  learned  about  Jesus' 
home  in  Nazareth?  What  would  be  an  ordinary  morn- 
ing's work  in  such  a  home?   (p.  180.)     What  time  of 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS         xxvii 

year  did  this  event  occur  that  we  are  studjdng?  (p.  180, 
181.)  What  kind  of  people  would  be  awaiting  Jesus' 
coming  whenever  he  was  known  to  be  approaching?  (p. 
181.)  For  what  purpose  do  you  think  each  would  come? 
What  impression  did  Jesus  make  on  people  who  saw  him 
for  the  first  time?  (p.  182.)  How  does  our  author  think 
Jesus  acted  toward  the  children?  (p.  183.)  Just  why 
did  the  mothers  want  to  bring  their  children  to  Jesus? 
(Top  p.  183.)  Do  Palestine  women  today  have  some  of 
the  same  feeling?  (Read  note  29,  p.  294.)  How  does 
the  author  picture  their  return  home?  (p.  185.)  What 
happened  after  they  arrived?  (p.  185.)  What  happened 
when  these  children  went  to  bed?  (Bottom  p.  185.) 
Where  did  Jesus  go  after  he  left  them?  (pp.  184,  186.) 
Did  the  Jews  pay  more  or  less  attention  to  children  than 
the  people  of  today?  (Home  Work  report.)  Why  does 
our  author  choose  the  chapter  title  that  he  uses  here? 
Why  did  Jesus  make  his  last  farewell  to  these  people  an 
hour  with  the  children?  (p.  183.)  What  do  you  suppose 
Jesus  said  to  the  older  boy?  (p.  185.)  What  do  you 
think  he  would  say  to  you  if  he  were  to  teach  our  class 
only  for  one  day,  for  this  one  Sunday? 

Weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work — Bethany. 

XVIII 

Scripture  Material. — Luke  10:38-42;  11:1-4;  John  11:1- 
46,  55,  57;  12:  1-8. 

Introductory. — Where  did  we  say  Jesus  was  going 
as  we  closed  our  last  lesson?  Find  Bethany  on  the  map. 
To  reach  it,  you  see  Jesus  came  up  the  dangerous  valley 
from  Jericho,  the  scene  of  his  story  of  the  Good  Samari- 
tan. How  far  is  Bethany  from  Jerusalem?  (John  11: 
18.)  What  do  you  know  about  this  village?  (Home 
work  report  and  note  27,  p.  292.)    Read  Chapter  XVIII. 

Our  author  speaks  of  Bethany  as  Jesus'  foster-home. 


xxviii       THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Would  Jesus  appreciate  a  home?  Do  we  know  when  he 
got  acquainted  with  the  Bethany  people?  (Bottom  p.  187.) 
Who  was  the  mistress  of  the  house?  Who  were  her 
younger  brother  and  sister?  Tell  of  the  conversation  that 
took  place  one  day  in  their  room.  (Luke  10:38-42.) 
Who  was  right,  Mary  or  Martha?  Why?  This  conver- 
sation took  place  when?  (p.  188.)  In  what  sort  of  a 
place?  (p.  188.)  What  impressions  do  you  get  of 
Martha's  character?  of  Mary's?  (Bottom  p.  188.)  What 
else  does  Luke  lead  us  to  think  took  place  in  Martha's 
garden?  (Luke  11:1-4.)  Why  would  it  be  appropriate 
that  this  prayer  should  have  been  learned  first  in  a  home? 

Sorrow  at  Bethaky. — Where  was  Jesus  when  Laz- 
arus fell  sick?  (Bottom  p.  190.)  Tell  about  his  sickness 
and  death  (John  11:1  and  p.  191).  Why  did  it  take 
courage  for  Jesus  to  come  to  the  rescue?  (John  11:8.) 
Did  the  disciples  want  to  go?  Who  showed  himself  now 
of  better  courage?  (John  11:16.)  Describe  in  your  own 
words  what  took  place  when  Jesus  arrived.  ( John  11 :19- 
44.)  Where  was  Jesus  obliged  to  flee  for  safety?  (John 
11:54.    Perhaps  on  the  border  of  Samaria.) 

Jot  at  Bethany. — To  what  feast  was  Jesus  now  com- 
ing for  the  last  time?  (John  11:55.)  What  time  of  year 
did  this  come?  Who  was  the  center  of  attention  at  this 
feast?  (John  11:55,  56.)  What  preparation  were  his 
enemies  making  for  his  coming?  (John  11:57.)  What 
grateful  reception  did  the  Bethany  friends  prepare  for 
Jesus?  (John  11:2.)  What  did  each  of  the  three  do  at 
this  dinner?  (John  11:2,  3.)  Where  did  Mary  get  this 
ointment?  (Bottom  p.  193.)  What  beautiful  wish  did 
Jesus  see  in  this  loving  act  of  Mary's?  (Matt.  26:12.) 
Who  objected  and  why?  (John  12:4,  5.)  Was  this  an 
honest  objection?  (John  12:6.)  But  it  sounds  reason- 
able; why  was  it  not?  When  is  it  wise  to  make  gifts 
that  are  not  of  real  necessities  ?  What  splendid  prophecy 
did  Jesus  make?  (Matt.  26:13.)    What  can  we  do  today 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS         xxix 

for  Christ  that  shall  mean,  under  our  circumstances,  what 
Mary  did  for  him? 

The  weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — How  the  Mount  of  Olives  looks  from 
Jerusalem.  (With  a  picture  and  map  if  possible.) 
How  Jerusalem  looks  from  the  Mount  of  Olives.  (With 
a  picture  and  map  if  possible.) 

XIX 

Scripture  Material. — Mark  11:1-11;  Luke  22:1-6. 

Introductory. — Where  was  Jesus  lodging' during  the 
passover?  What  events  took  place  in  Bethany?  (Re- 
view.) Read  Chapter  XIX.  What  was  the  feeling 
among  Jesus*  enemies  when  they  knew  that  he  was  com- 
ing to  this  feast?  (p.  199.)  Our  author  describes  (on 
p.  200)  some  of  them  watching  for  Jesus'  entrance  into 
the  city.  Try  to  bring  in  a  picture  showing  the  view 
of  the  Mount  of  Olives  from  the  city  and  a  map  of 
Jerusalem  showing  the  roads  over  the  Mount.  Get  a 
description  of  this,  clear  enough  to  bring  the  scene  be- 
fore the  class.  (First  Home  Work  report  and  note  32, 
pp.  298,  299.) 

Palm  Sunday, — How  did  Jesus  prepare  to  enter  the 
city  (Mark  11:1-7.)  What  sort  of  a  throng  surrounded 
him  as  soon  as  he  started?  (Note  31,  pp.  297,  298.) 
How  did  the  people  welcome  him?  (Mark  11:8-10.) 
What  day  of  the  month  was  this?  (p.  306.)  What  day 
of  the  week?  What  do  we  call  this  day  now?  Why  did 
Jesus  choose  the  ass  rather  than  a  horse?  (p.  201.)  As 
soon  as  Jesus  and  his  companions  came  out  upon  the 
western  slope  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  what  scene  was 
spread  before  them?  (Have  picture  and  map  if  pos- 
sible. Here  use  the  Second  Home  Work  report,  note  30, 
pp.  295-297  and  p.  203.)  What  did  the  Pharisees  urge 
him  to  do?   (Luke  19:39.)     What  did  Jesus  answer? 


XXX  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

(Luke  19:40.)  What  did  he  meant  Why  did  Jesus  en 
ter  Jerusalem  in  this  manner f  (Bottom  p,  204.)  What 
did  Jesus  do  when  he  caught  sight  of  the  cityf  (Luke 
19:  41,  42.)  Why  did  Jesus  not  ride  clear  into  the  city? 
(p.  204.)  How  did  the  people's  feelings  change  when 
he  did  not  fulfill  their  expectations?  (p.  204  and  Matt. 
21:10,  11.)  How  did  the  Twelve  feel?  (p.  205.)  What 
did  Judas  do?  (Luke  22:1-6.)  What  do  you  think  of 
these  acts  of  Jesuston  Palm  Sunday? 

The  weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — The  Destruction  of  Jerusalem  by 
Titus. 

XX 

Scripture  Material.— Mark  11:15-19,  27-33;  12:12-44; 
John  12:20-43;  Mark  13:1-19. 

Introductory. — How  did  the  plot  against  Jesus'  life 
now  stand?  (Matt  26:1-5,  14-16.)  Read  Chapter  XX. 
Was  it  still  possible  for  Jesus  to  save  himself  ?  In  what 
three  ways?  (Bottom  p.  207.)  Tell  me  why  he  did  not 
choose  either  one.  (In  detail.)  By  what  brave  act  did 
he  begin  his  last  week's  work?  (Mark  11:15,  16.)  What 
day  was  this?  (Monday.)  Who  was  delighted  at  the 
deed?  (Matt.  21:15.)  Who  objected?  (Matt.  21:15.) 
What  did  Jesus  answer?  (Matt.  21:16.)  Why  did  he  do 
this?  (Mark  11:17.)  Where  did  Jesus  spend  his  nights? 
(Mark  11:19.)     With  whom? 

Jesus  in  Contest  with  His  Enemies. — The 
next  day  was  spent  by  his  enemies  in  trying 
to  himailiate  Jesus  in  argument.  Where  did  these 
controversies  take  place?  (Mark  11:27.)  What 
committee  does  our  author  first  mention?  (p.  209.) 
Who  was  he?  (Mark  12:28.)  What  question  did  he  ask? 
(Mark  12:28.)  What  was  Jesus'  answer?  (Mark  12: 
29-31.)  What  word  of  praise  did  this  man  speak  to 
Jesus?     (Mark  12:32-34.)     What  grateful  answer  did 


SUGK5ESTI0NS  FOR  TEACHERS         xxxi 

Jesus  make?  (Mark  12:34.)  Who  else  came?  (Mark 
11:27.)  What  did  they  ask?  (Mark  11:28.)  How  did 
Jesus  get  the  better  of  these  questioners?  (Mark  11:29- 
33.)  Who  came  last?  (Mark  12:13.)  What  did  they 
ask?  (Mark  12:14.)  What  dilemma  did  they  think  they 
had  put  Jesus  in?  (Bottom  p.  211  and  top  p.  212.) 
What  did  Jesus  say?  (Mark  12:17.) 

How  did  Jesus  retort  to  all  of  his  enemies?  (p.  213 
and  selections  from  Matt.  23.)  How  did  the  people 
receive  this?  (Luke  19:48.)  How  much  did  their  atti- 
tude really  mean?  (John  12:37,  42.)  How  did  his 
enemies  feel  at  the  close  of  the  day?  (Mark  12:34.) 
What  was  the  result  of  tuis  day?  (Bottom  p.  213.) 
What  happened  on  the  way  home?  (Mark  12:41,  42.) 
What  beautiful  comment  did  Jesus  make?  (Mark  13:43, 
44.) 

As  the  Twelve  reached  the  top  of  the  Mount  of  Olives 
that  evening,  what  did  one  of  them  say?  (Mark  13:1.) 
What  response  did  Jesus  make?  (Mark  13:2.)  Did  this 
come  true?  When?  (Home  Work  report.)  What  hard 
prophesy  did  he  make  for  the  Twelve?  (Mark  13:9,  13.) 
But  what  triumphant  promise  followed?  (Matt.  25:34, 
36,  40.)  Did  they  understand  what  Jesus  meant?  (Bot- 
tom p.  215.)  But  were  they  faithful  in  the  end?  (p.  216.) 
Why?  Why  should  you  and  I  be  faithful  to  Jesus? 
When  he  stands  alone?    When  does  he  stand  alone? 

The  weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — The  Events  of  the  Last  Week  of  Jesus' 
Life. 

XXI 

Scripture  Material— Luke  22:7-38;  John  13:1-38;  14:1- 
18;  16:33;  Mark  14:26;  John  18:1. 
Introductory. — What  occurred  on  the  last  Sunday  of 
Jesus'  life?  on  Monday?  on  Tuesday?  on  Wednesday? 


xxxii  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

(He  spent  the  day  with  his  friends  in  Bethany,  see  p. 
217.) 

Have  all  place  in  their  notebooks,  as  the  result  of  these 
questions,  the  Home  Work  report,  and  complete  it  to  in- 
clude Thursday  and  Friday,  to  the  death  of  Jesus.  Read 
Chapter  XXI. 

The  Lord's  Supper. — By  what  prearranged  plan  did 
Jesus  prepare  that  his  last  passover  might  not  be  inter- 
rupted? (Luke  22:10.)  Who  prepared  the  supper? 
(Luke  22:8.)  What  wretched  contention  arose  on  the 
way?  (Luke  22:24.)  Who  does  our  author  think  were 
chiefly  concerned  in  it?  (p.  222.)  What  does  he  think  it 
was  about?  (p.  222.)  How  was  the  passover  celebrated 
by  a  company  of  men  like  the  Twelve?  (pp.  222,  223.) 
How  long  was  it  since  Jesus'  first  passover  at  Jerusalem  ? 
(Top  p.  223.)  How  were  the  Twelve  seated  at  the  table? 
(p.  223  and  John  13:23,  24,  26.)  Turn  now  to  Brown's 
illustration  opposite  p.  224.  Find  John,  Peter,  Judas, 
Jesus.  How  did  the  Paschal  Supper  open?  (p.  223.) 
What  surprising  thing  did  Jesus  do  next?  (John  13:4, 
5.)  In  spite  of  what  knowledge  did  he  do  this?  (John 
13:3.)  In  whose  place  did  he  dot  it?  (Bottom  p.  224.) 
In  what  order  does  our  author  think  Jesus  went  about 
the  table?  (Top  p.  224.)  In  our  illustration  (opposite 
p.  224)  what  is  Judas  doing?  What  is  on  the  table  at 
his  left?  What  is  the  next  one  doing?  Why?  The  next 
two?  John?  What  conversation  did  Jesus  and  Peter 
have?  (John  13:6-10.)  Why  did  he  do  this?  (John 
13:12,14.)  Did  he  mean  John  13:15  literally?  What 
did  he  mean?  (John  13:16.)  Why  was  Jesus  sad  that 
night?  (John  13:2,  18,  21.)  How  did  he  make  the  traitor 
know  that  he  had  found  him  out?  (John  13:23-26.) 
How  did  Jesus  both  expel  Judas  and  yet  save  his  life? 
(John  13:27,  30.)  Why  did  he?  What  sad  weakness 
did  Jesus  know  in  Peter's  heart?  (John  13:38.)  In 
them  all?   (Mark  14:27.)     Did  the  eleven  believe  this 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS       xxxiii 

was  true?  (John  13:37;  Mark  14:31.)  What  encourag- 
ing command  did  Jesus  give  Peter?  (Luke  22:31,  32.) 

How  did  Jesus  institute  the  Lord's  Supper?  (Luke 
22:19,  20.)  What  did  he  mean  by  the  bread?  by  the 
wine?  Why  did  he  ask  them  to  celebrate  this  feast? 
(Luke  22:19,  last  clause,  and  p.  228.)  Find  some  of 
the  most  helpful  things  Jesus  said  after  the  supper  in 
the  14th,  15th,  16th  or  17th  chapters  of  John.  (Chap- 
ter to  each  student.)  What  was  his  final  word  of  en- 
couragement? (John  16:33.)  What  did  they  do  after 
Jesus  had  talked  with  them?  (Mark  14:26.)  Where  did 
they  go?  (John  18:1.) 

Who  have  a  right  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper? 
Is  it  a  privilege?  Is  it  a  duty?  How  does  it  stand 
for  brotherhood?  for  loyalty?  for  hope?  (Rev.  19:9.) 
Why  has  it  lasted  so  long?  A  closing  word  of  personal 
testimony  as  to  its  blessings  and  of  hope  that  all  the 
class  will  wish  to  partake  of  them. 

The  weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — John.    Mark. 

XXII 

Scripture  Material— Mark  14 :10,  11,  26,  32-52. 

Introductory. — Let  us  trace  the  movements  of  Jesus 
on  that  Thursday  (p.  217,  218.)  What  does  our  author 
think  of  the  condition  of  Judas'  mind?  (pp.  218,  219; 
John  13:27.)  How  had  Jesus  warned  him?  (John  13: 
26,  27.)  Did  Judas  remain  to  the  Lord's  Supper?  (John 
13:30.)  Where  did  he  go?  (John  18:3.)  How  did  he 
know  where  to  bring  the  soldiers?  (John  18:2.)  Read 
Chapter  XXII. 

Gethsbmane. — Our  author  thinks  he  has  traced  the 
source  of  this  story.  He  thinks  it  was  the  young  man 
with  the  water- jar  (Mark  14:13),  the  goodman  of  the 
house  where  they  were  staying,  (Mark  14:14)  who  had 


xxxiv  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

prepared  the  room  (Mark  14:15)  and  who  watched  be- 
low while  they  were  at  supper,  (p.  230.)  Who  was 
he?  How  does  he  later  appear  in  the  history  of  the 
church?    (Home  Work  report.) 

Where  is  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane?  (Note  33,  pp. 
299,  300.)  How  did  the  eleven  arrange  themselves  in 
the  Garden?  What  did  Jesus  entreat  them  to  do? 
(Mark  14:32.)  Why?  (Matt.  14:33,  34.)  Why  did  he 
feel  so?  What  prayer  did  he  offer?  (Mark  14:35.) 
What  did  he  mean?  (p.  233.)  Did  his  friends  do  as  he 
asked?  (Mark  14:37-40.)  How  were  they  at  length 
interrupted?  (John  18:3.)  How  did  Jesus  protect  his 
friends?  (Mark  14:42;  John  18:8.)  How  did  the  sol- 
diers recognize  Jesus?  (Mark  14:44,  45.)  Could  Jesus 
have  rescued  himself?  (Matt.  26:53.)  What  impression 
did  he  make  on  his  captors?  (John  18:6.)  What  did 
his  disciples  do?  (Mark  14:50;  John  18:10,  11.)  How 
did  Mark  escape?  (Mark  14:51,  52.)  What  would  you 
have  done  if  you  had  been  with  Jesus  that  night?  What 
did  he  need  most  from  his  friends  then?  (p.  233,  fifth 
paragraph).  Why  did  they  fail  him?  Was  the  conduct 
of  Jesus  in  the  Garden  brave  and  manly?  (Top  p.  233.) 

The  weekly  chapter. 

Home  Work. — The  events  of  the  Day  of  Crucifixion. 
(In  order  and  by  hours.) 

XXIII 

Scripture  Material.— John  18:12-40;  19:1-16;  Mark 
14:53-72;  15:1-20;  Luke  23:4-12. 

Introductory. — Read  Chapter  XXIII.  Have  the  stu- 
dents put  in  their  note  books  the  events  of  Good  Friday 
in  their  order  (Home  Work  report).  A  good  way  is  to 
have  each  one  make  a  clock  dial  and  write  the  events 
outside  the  rim  opposite  the  hours  when  they  occurred. 
What  occurred  first,  soon  after  midnight?  (John  18:12.) 

The  Jewish  Trial. — To  whom  did  they  take  Jesus 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS         xxxv 

first  in  the  early  morning?  (John  18:13.)  Why?  What 
two  disciples  followed  Jesus?  (John  18:15.)  To  what 
place?  (John  18:18.)  How  did  they  get  in?  (John 
18:16.)  What  conversation  took  place  outside  while 
Jesus  was  being  examined?  (John  18:17.)  What  were 
the  principal  questions  and  answers  at  this  hearing? 
(John  18:19,  20.)  To  whom  next  did  they  lead  Jesus? 
(Mark  14:53.)  What  took  place  here?  (Mark  14:55, 
56,  59.)  How  did  Caiaphas  finally  by  knowing  that 
Jesus  would  tell  the  truth  get  him  to  incriminate  himself 
in  the  opinion  of  his  enemies?  (Mark  14:61-63.)  What, 
exactly,  was  it  they  were  accusing  him  of?  (Mark  14:63.) 
What  was  the  Jewish  verdict?  (Mark  14:64.)  Was  all 
this  legal?  (pp.  236,  237.)  Where  was  Peter  all  this 
time?  (Mark  14:54-66.)  What  conversation  was  taking 
place  outside?  (Mark  14:67-71.)  What  reminded  him 
of  Jesus'  prophecy?  (Mark  14:72;  Luke  22:61.)  What 
did  he  do  then?  (Mark  14:72.)  What  was  happening  to 
Judas  all  this  thne?  (Matt.  27:3-5.)  What  became  of 
him?  (Matt.  27:5.)  What  was  the  result  of  these  two 
examinations?   (Luke  22:66,  71.) 

The  Roman  Trial. — To  whom  did  they  take  him? 
(John  18:28,  29.)  Who  was  he?  Why 'had  not  the 
Jews  executed  him  as  soon  as  they  had  condemned  him? 
(John  18:31.)  Did  they  bring  the  same  accusation  to 
Pilate  that  they  had  among  themselves?  (John  18:33.) 
Why?  What  was  Jesus'  answer  to  the  charge?  (John 
18:36,37.)  What  was  Pilate's  verdict?  (John  18:38.) 
Why  did  he  not  set  him  free  at  once?  (Luke  23:5.) 
What  did  he  do?  (Luke  23:7.)  Why?  Was  this  the 
Herod  who  had  killed  John?  (Yes.)  Do  you  suppose 
that  was  the  reason  Jesus  would  have  nothing  to  say  to 
him?  (Luke  23:9.)  What  occurred  next?  (Luke  23:11.) 
Did  Pilate  release  him  then?  Why  not?  (Luke  23:14, 
15.)  What  did  he  do?  (Luke  23:16;  John  19 :L)  Was 
this  just?  What  did  he  propose  next?  (Mark  15:7-9.) 
Was  this  just?     Did  Jesus'  enemies  accept  this  offer? 


xxxvi  THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

Why?  What  warning  did  Pilate  receive  at  this  point? 
(Matt.  27:19.)  Did  he  release  Jesus  now?  How  did  he 
try  to  excite  their  pity  for  Jesus  after  he  had  scourged 
him?  (John  19:4-6.)  Did  this  succeed?  (John  19:6.) 
How  did  they  arouse  Pilate's  superstitious  fears?  (John 
19:7.)  How  did  they  work  on  his  political  fears?  (John 
19:12.)  What  did  Pilate  finally  do?  (John  19:16.) 
Was  this  just?  Who  was  most  to  blame  for  the  death 
of  Jesus?  How  did  Pilate  try  to  clear  himself  of  his 
responsibility?  (Matt.  27:24.)  Name  the  illegal  indigni- 
ties Jesus  suffered  during  his  trial.  (John  18:22;  Luke 
22:63-65;  23:11;  John  91:1;  Mark  15:16-19;  Matt.  27: 
27-31,  39,  44,  48,  49.)  How  did  he  bear  each  of  these? 
How  long  had  he  been  without  sleep  or  food?  What 
was  the  real  greatness  of  Jesus?  (p.  248.) 
The  weekly  chapter.    No  Home  Work. 

XXIV 

Scripture  Material. — Mark  15:2-47;  Luke  23:39-56; 
John  19:25-42.) 

Introductory. — To  what  place  was  Jesus  led  to  die? 
Do  you  know  where  the  place  was?  (Note  34,  pp.  300, 
301.)  What  was  the  date  of  the  death  of  Jesus  (p. 
306.)     Read  Chapter  XXIV. 

The  Crucifixion. — Who  conducted  Jesus  to  the  cross? 
(Mark  15:20.)  Who  were  his  companions?  (Luke 
23:32.)  Who  helped  him  bear  his  cross?  (Mark  15:21.) 
Who  followed?  (Luke  23:27;  John  19:25;  Mark  15:40.) 
Did  the  Jews  or  the  Jerusalem  people  have  a  share  in 
crucifying  Jesus?  (Luke  23:27,  28,  35,  48;  also  p.  252.) 
What  inscription  was  over  the  cross?  (John  19:19-22.) 
Who  put  it  there?  What  was  the  first  word  from  the 
cross?  (Luke  23:34.)  What  did  it  mean?  What  the 
second?  (Luke  23:43.)  Its  meaning?  The  third? 
(John  19:26,  27.)  Its  meaning?  The  fourth?  (John 
19:28.)     Its  meaning?     The  fifth?  (Mark  15:34.)     Its 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS       xxxvii 

meaning?  The  sixth?  (Luke  23:46.)  Its  meaning? 
The  last?  (John  19:30.)  What  acts  of  hatred  took  place 
during  the  crucifixion?  (Luke  23:35,  36,  39.)  What 
deeds  of  kindness?  (Mark  15:23;  Luke  23:40-43;  John 
19:26,  27,  29,  30.)  Describe  the  illustration  opposite  p. 
256  in  your  own  words.  What  was  the  impression  made 
by  Jesus'  death  upon  the  beholders?  (Matt.  27:54.)" 
What  upon  a  competent  and  impartial  witness?  (Mark 
15 :39.)  What  do  you  think  of  it?  What  does  his  death 
mean  to  us? 

The  weekly  chapter.     No  Home  Woi'k. 

XXV 

Scripture  Material— John  19:38-42;  20:1-16;  21:1-19.) 
Introductory. — Who  buried  the  body  of  Jesus? 
(John  19:38,  39.)  Who  were  these  two?  Where  did 
they  bury  him?  (John  19:41.)  Do  we  know  where  this 
place  was?  (Note  35,  pp.  301,  302.)  Read  Chapter 
XXV. 

Jesus'  Triumph. — Did  the  disciples  anticipate  the 
resuiTeetion ?  (Matt.  28:17.)  How  long  after  the  cruci- 
fixion did  it  occur?  (Luke  23  :56;  24:1.)  Who  were  some 
of  the  witnesses  of  it?  (John  30:1,  2;  Luke  24:13-15; 
John  20:19,  26.)  In  what  familiar  place  did  he  meet 
the  fisherman  disciples?  (John  21:1  and  note  36,  p. 
302.)  Note  how  the  incredulity  of  his  friends  is  des- 
cribed as  being  overcome.  (Mark  16:3,  6,  11;  John  20: 
2-11;  Luke  24:21,  37,  41;  John  20:25  to  21:2,  3;  Matt. 
28:17.)  Note  later  the  joy  of  the  early  church  in  be- 
lieving in  it.  (Acts  2:14,  41-47;  4:4-7,  33;  8:4.)  Does 
Jesus  seem  to  have  anticipated  his  own  victory?  (John 
16:33.)  Mention  the  details  in  our  lesson  that  remind 
you  of  the  naturalness  of  Jesus'  and  of  Peter's  charac- 
ter. Why  is  this  story  told  us?  For  whose  sake?  What 
do  you  think  of  Peter  on  the  whole?  Is  he  not  the  most 
human  of  the  disciples?     How  does  he  encourage  us? 


xxxviii        THE  BOYS'  LIFE  OF  CHRIST 

What  had  Jesus'  first  command  to  any  of  his  disciples 
been?  (John  1:43.)  What  was  his  last?  (John  21:22.) 
What  is  it  to  be  a  Christian?  (p.  263.)  Can  we  follow 
any  one  better?    Must  we  follow  some  one?    Why? 

What  has  been  the  history  of  Christ's  disciples  since 
that  time?  (Luke  27:47,  48.)  Why  did  he  leave  the 
sight  of  his  servants?  Is  he  far  away?  Tell  in  your 
own  words  what  the  illustration  opposite  p.  262  sug- 
gests about  his  help  now.  The  supreme  thing  that  one 
can  do  for  him  is  what?  (p.  263.) 


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